Battle of Heroes: Earth vs Olympus
by stiltsrosko
Summary: Percy and Annabeth thought that life was finally going as planned. A year after the war with Gaea, they are preparing to head to New Rome to start college. But things don't ever go as planned. SHIELD has become a little too interested in Percy, and when an unlucky video reaches Nick Fury, partially revealing Percy's control of the ocean, how will he, and later the Avengers, react?
1. Chapter 1: SHIELD's Most Wanted

**Chapter 1: Shield's Most Wanted**

Percy collapsed in a small, dark alleyway, panting as he tried to catch his breath. At the entrance to the alley, the shadows of three hellhounds appeared, slowly padding towards him.

"Just your average Tuesday" Percy grunted, slowly staggering to his feet, bringing up Riptide to face the monsters. "Well, what are you dogs waiting for, an invitation?" Percy grinned. The lead hellhound charged, baring its fangs before swiftly being cut down by Percy's swing.

The other two started crawling forward, before one yelped, surprised by the bone-blade now protruding from its ribs, before disintegrating into golden dust like its fellow.

"Nice of you to finally show up Wise Girl!" Percy called while charging the final hound. "Was starting to think you didn't get my message!"

Annabeth watched unconcerned as Percy engaged the hellhound, shaking her head, and sheathed her drakon-blade sword. "It was kind of hard to miss. You were running for your life from a whole pack of these mutts. What happened to the others?"

"Piles of dust. Come on, you didn't think I couldn't handle them, did you? It takes more than a few dogs to take me down. I only called to let you know I'd be late." Percy grinned, then finally swung Riptide down on the hellhound's neck, sending it to join its fellows.

"A few dogs? I saw at least twenty! And you were nearly 2 hours late thank you very much" Annabeth glared at him.

"They attacked near the East River, the initial attack wasn't that difficult to handle. It was the mop-up and stragglers that caused the real problem, but these are the last of them." Percy wiped his brow and returned Riptide to his pocket. "So, what do we do now? I've filled my monster-filling quota for the day and my mom isn't expecting me for at least a few more hours. Care to join me for a swim?"

"So, no major injuries, broken bones, or life-threatening curses?" Annabeth questioned. She wasn't about to brush off an attack so easily.

"Nope, I'm still my normal annoying self with all body parts intact" Percy showed off each limb proudly, like a kindergartner showing off his first drawing. "Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Seaweed Brain," but happily looped her arm through his and they began walking off towards the river. The crisp fall air was refreshing, and she breathed in deeply. Moments like this were rare for the two demigods, and she savored each one that she got. Ever since…. Tartarus, they'd become nearly inseparable, and together, they could hold off any flashbacks that came. As they strolled off peacefully, she didn't have to worry about dracaena attacking, giants leaping out of the sewers, or Titans strolling up for a chat (although she did still worry about them, just not nearly as much). She had Percy, and that was what mattered. If they were together, everything would turn out alright.

 **WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

It had been nearly a year since the end of the war with Gaea, and Percy and Annabeth were enjoying their last few weeks in New York before heading off to California for college in New Rome. Annabeth would be studying architecture (obviously) and Percy would be studying marine biology. They'd had a relatively quiet year, aside from the regular monster attacks, but those were a given. There hadn't been any more great prophecies, and the gods had left them alone for the most part aside from small favors that every demigod had come to expect.

Percy whooped and ran to the water, diving straight in with no hesitation. Annabeth laughed as she walked to the edge, watching to see where he'd come up. Percy grinned mischievously and summoned a wave to drag her in (he kept her dry of course). She squealed as she was pulled into his arms by the current and punched him on the shoulder.

"Percy! You know better than that!" she scolded as soon as he had formed an air bubble.

"What! You said you were going to swim!" He yelped rubbing his arm and giving her his puppy dog/baby seal eyes.

She rolled her eyes and continued. "What if someone had seen a giant wave grab me and pull me into the water, and not to mention we've been under for a while now."

Percy rolled his eyes as he replied. "I checked before I dove in, there's nobody within a hundred meters of this spot that could have seen. Honestly Annabeth you worry too much. Besides, I couldn't help it! I haven't done anything major with the ocean for a while now and using you as an outlet is just too much fun!"

His puppy/seal look finally won out and she just glared at him before muttering "what am I going to do with you Seaweed Brain" before pulling him into a kiss, to which he responded happily.

When they broke apart, Percy summoned a hippocampus and they went for a quick ride, while he was maintaining their nice air bubble.

 **WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

While Percy had been correct about nobody on the beach paying attention, there had been a camera on one of the beachfront stores that had just barely picked up on his little stunt on the edge of its range.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury bent over his desk, his eyes wide as he tried to process what he was seeing. The video's quality wasn't great, the feed was choppy, black-and-white, and it was at the edge of the screen, but it was enough to confirm his suspicions.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had been keeping its eye on the mysterious Perseus Jackson for a few months now, ever since he had appeared after his 9-month disappearance when he was completely off the grid the year before. Now this video, captured the day before, had been seen. His file was already abnormally large for a teenager and was filled with mysterious accidents that nobody could explain.

He was present at the bombing on the St. Louis Arch, and not to mention surviving a fall from the top of it, as well as the mass blackout in Manhattan 3 years ago. He had been kidnapped, accused of kidnapping his mother, and his stepfather had mysteriously disappeared and was presumed dead.

SHIELD had been monitoring him as a potential threat, but now that this incident had been captured on video, it had been sent straight to Fury as it fell in the category of possible non-humans. Fury had been studying Perseus' file for an hour now, and repeatedly watching the video taken the afternoon before just to make sure the wave wasn't just a trick of the light.

"Just what secrets are you hiding Mr. Jackson?" he muttered to himself. He nodded his head, finally making his decision, and called in Agent Hill.

"Yes Director?" she asked as she walked into his office.

"I trust you've seen this?" Fury questioned, pushing Jackson's file at her.

She nodded quickly. "It was my recommendation that it be sent to you, sir."

"And how would you choose to deal with this issue?"

She considered it for a moment. "I would suggest having an agent tail him for a while. Perhaps Agent Jones, or perhaps Agent Redman? They've both been doing remarkably well lately." 

"No," Fury shook his head slowly. "I agree with the tail, but something tells me this is going to be big. Put Romanoff on him, with Barton on possible backup. They've had it easy since the whole alien situation. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Agent Hill walked out of the office, her face expressionless, but confusion filling her. Romanoff and Barton! For a teenager? It wasn't her place to question the Director's decisions, but she was almost certain that Fury was going overboard. But she had her orders, so she sent alerts to both agents, informing them of their new mission and all the additional information, including Perseus Jackson's file and the new video.

 **WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW**

Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) groaned when he saw the mission alert on his phone. He had been hanging around in the newly-christened Avengers Tower for about a week and had just began to hope that maybe SHIELD had chosen to give him some (well-deserved, in his mind) time off. After the Battle in New York, the world had been mostly quiet, and his missions had become few and far between as the world recovered from the event.

The Avengers had spent those quiet months bonding and training together, learning how to work together, turning their dysfunctional band of show-offs into a real team, though nobody had required their services just yet, and they were starting to get a little lazy. Clint patted his stomach, were a few pounds had been added thanks to the frequent shawarma meals.

Clint sighed and reluctantly opened the mission alert. He quickly studied the file, memorizing the details about this young Perseus Jackson, and glanced at the objectives. His mood lifted when he realized he was only backup for this one, for Agent… he busted up laughing.

Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) stormed into the common room where he was sprawled on the couch with scowl that would make any regular person flinch and back away.

"They're sending me, their top reconnaissance agent (Clint debated protesting before conceding the point) to spy on some eighteen-year-old KID!" she growled.

 _Better you than me,_ Clint thought, before turning to Natasha. "Now Nat I know you're upset, but at least it will probably be an easier mission. We wouldn't want another Budapest, now would we?" He joked,

Natasha narrowed her eyes. "You can say it's an easy mission, Clint. You don't have to stick to the kid like glue when he's been able to avoid SHIELD 9 months at time." Her voice slowly grew in volume until she was practically shouting.

"Who's been avoiding SHIELD? I want to ask him for advice" Tony Stark came sauntering into the room like he owned the place, _which he technically did_ , thought Clint bitterly.

"Seriously though, I was listening in from the other room and this sounds fascinating. Mind if I take a hack?" Tony asked, before striding over to one of his high-tech computers and imputing commands quickly and efficiently.

"Tony, you know how much Fury hates it when you..." Steve began as he strode quickly into the room, but then trailed off as Perseus Jackson's face appeared on the wall in holographic form along with all his information.

"Honestly Steve, why do you think I do it?" Tony asked, in a _duh_ tone. Then he too went silent as he started studying the information.

After a few minutes he broke the silence.

"Well this kids' certainly had an exciting childhood. Dumped class into a shark tank, blew up his school bus… I must say I am impressed." Tony said with slight amusement and a cocky grin on his face. "Although I doubt he actually has powers. This camera's quality is terrible, it was probably a glitch."

"I don't care if you're impressed Tony!" Natasha snapped. "I'm a spy not a glorified babysitter!"

"That's debatable," Clint said with a mischievous grin. "I mean they did send you to take care of Tony for a while."

"Hey!" Tony yelled while everyone else burst into laughter, and even Natasha chuckled a few times. "True, there's no way he's more trouble than the infamous Stark." Tony rolled his eyes and resigned himself to the teasing.

Oh, how wrong they were.


	2. Chapter 2: Super Spies are Super Lame!

**Chapter 2: Super Spies are Super Lame!**

Percy and Annabeth were walking back from the library (Annabeth dragged Percy in, Percy dragged Annabeth out) when they first noticed the change. Percy swept Annabeth into his arms and kissed her, before pulling away to whisper, "We're being followed," with a smile on his face, trying not to show that something was wrong.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but played along. "Obviously Seaweed Brain. I noticed it five minutes ago. You think it's a threat?" She playfully bumped him and kept walking.

"I don't think so. I'm not sensing a monster in the nearby area. I think it's mortal." He let his confusion show on his face. _Why would a mortal be following us?_ He wondered. As far as mortals knew, he was just a normal teenager that had just finished high school, not some hero that has to go on annual world-saving field trips. Nope, perfectly normal teenager on a perfectly normal walk with his completely normal girlfriend. It's not like they'd just been attacked by empousai. It was just two telkhines, and they were easily dealt with.

They continued walking back to Percy's apartment while cautiously surveying their surroundings. Finally, after a few turns, Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth and pointed at a billboard advertising a Broadway show across the street, and quietly said "Red-headed woman, light blue jacket, in front of that sandwich shop."

Annabeth looked curiously at the billboard while carefully searching the foot traffic below it in her peripheral vision. Sure enough, a woman stood outside said sandwich shop, looking around disinterestedly while eating a sandwich and talking into her phone, twenty feel below the billboard, and to the right.

"Are you sure?" Annabeth questioned, still looking at the board.

"Positive, I've seen her a few times since we left the library, though she almost fooled me by switching the jacket. She's good."

Annabeth quickly analyzed the situation. "Alright, let's take the scenic route through Central. We can confront her there."

Percy grinned. "And that is why you make always the plans, Wise Girl." He pecked her quickly on the lips.

Annabeth grinned. "Somebody has to in this relationship. You would have just led her back to camp."

Percy grimaced, knowing she was probably right. "Come on," he muttered and then started walking to the nearby Central Park.

Annabeth grinned victoriously before jogging after him, knowing she'd won tat exchange. She looped her arm through his before leading him towards a seemingly random trail head that she happened to know (thanks to the Second Titan War) led to a seldom-used meadow with a small stream just in case. It never hurt to be prepared after all.

 **APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA**

Natasha carefully watched the young couple while calmly eating her sandwich.

"They just headed off towards the park," she told Clint who was mindlessly chatting while she reluctantly tailed the young man.

"I thought they were going back to his apartment? Have you been made?" Clint asked, suddenly all business.

"No, I don't think so. They seem to just want a change in scenery. Try to stay close by though. Just in case."

She could practically see Clint's grin as he replied. "No problem Nat! You really should have come sit with me though. Those two lovebirds have barely changed their routine for the past month that SHIELD's been watching them. You should relax."

She rolled her eyes, turned around, and glared at him through the sandwich shop glass. "I'll relax when this mission's over. It may be a stupid assignment that any green agent could do, but it's still an assignment." She hung up and started to covertly follow the tall, mysterious, dark-haired teen and his blonde girlfriend.

 **APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA**

Clint was still grinning as he stood up and stretched. He watched Natasha stroll into the park after once again switching her outfit and throwing her hair up to make sure she wasn't recognized.

Clint walked out to where his motorcycle was parked by the curb, started it, and drove to the edge of the park where Nat had entered in case of the unlikely event that she needed help.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before Clint was startled by Natasha's loud voice shouting in his ear. "Clint, get your sorry butt in here!"

Clint nearly fell off his bike in surprise. "Nat? What's going on?!" he shouted into his mouthpiece.

"This kid is…." Nat's voice was suddenly cut off and the only thing Clint could hear was static.

Clint disconnected and immediately shot along the path Natasha had took. After startling several joggers and a sharp left turn down a clearly unused path that Clint's GPS indicated Nat had taken, he was startled by a scene of massive destruction in a small clearing. The place was completely swamped, and signs of more water damage were evident across the clearing. Clint arrived and momentarily just stared at the flooding around him.

Then his eyes fell on the still form at the base of one of the trees on the edge of the clearing. "NAT!" he yelled, sprinting over to her while simultaneously stringing his bow, automatically nocking an arrow, and searching the rest of the clearing for any possible threats.

Everything was still, and, aside from the splashes coming from the grass as he ran across the clearing, quiet. When he reached Natasha, he knelt and checked her pulse. Relief filled him when he found it, and he quickly checked over her bodies for large injuries. Besides the large knot on her head and a few nasty-looking bruises she seemed fine. Her breathing was regular, and no limbs were sticking out at weird angles.

He stood, and once again surveyed the clearing before calling Fury. "Director, Agent Romanoff's been compromised. I just found her in a small clearing, on the south side of Central Park. I'm calling for a pick-up." He paused for a moment listening to Fury begin his tirade of questions. "Yes, I believe it was Jackson, she was tailing him. No, I didn't see how. I was unable to pursue due to Romanoff's condition. I wasn't about to leave her defenseless." Clint winced as Fury shouted even louder. "What did you expect me to do? She's freaking unconscious! When will our transport be here?" He paused listening to Fury's reluctant response. "Alright, I'll come report to you as soon as I land."

A few minutes later a helicopter with the SHIELD emblem emblazoned on its side landed in the center of the clearing. A team of paramedics rushed out and pulled Natasha onto a gurney before wheeling her onto the chopper, followed quickly by Clint. Because the chopper was in a hurry to leave to get Agent Romanoff back to base and to avoid making a scene, no one noticed the slim, dark figures at the edge of the clearing that slipped away once the helicopter was out of sight.

 **APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA**

Far below, in the darkest parts of the Underworld, Tartarus was preparing for war.

He had truly been preparing for the past two millennia, but the recent defeat of the Titans, the Giants, _and_ Gaea, as well as the escape of those two **puny** demigods from **him** , one of the oldest primordials in the world, had caused him to accelerate his plans. Monsters were regenerating faster than ever, training and preparing to be unleashed in the mortal world, and he was personally supervising them as they pushed against the boundaries he had set, causing the monsters near him to shiver uneasily, while casting nervous glances at him. After those demigods had escaped, he had found himself taking physical form more often, enjoying the feeling of terror it inspired in those around him. He laughed maniacally as he watched monsters disappear into the normal world.

However, Tartarus had to be careful. He was still only allowing the barest trickle of monsters to pass into the physical world. He chuckled soundlessly. The calm before the storm. Those demigods had no idea what was coming for them. And the first ones to feel his wrath would be the spawn of Poseidon and Athena.

Besides, the timing had never been more perfect. With the arrival of the Norse gods (Tartarus snorted, _if they could even be called gods_ ) had opened the eyes of billions of mortals around the Earth, severely weakening the Mist. So now, when he opened the floodgates and allowed his monsters to pour out of the pit, it would complete shred the veil over the eyes of mortals, forcing demigods into the spotlight and turning them against them.

Now all he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Whispers had reached even Tartarus about the events that day, the first conflict between mortals and demigods in centuries. The entire earth had felt the shudders in the Mist when it occurred. Tartarus knew that to use this to his full advantage, he had to be patient, allow the mortals' fear of the unknown to grow, before he began his attack.

He closed his eyes, imagining the carnage that would follow.

 _Ah, Perseus Jackson,_ he thought. _Not even the gods will be able to save you._

 **A/N: Hi guys! Thank you so much for those of you who have already followed this story and added it to your favorites. This is my first story, so I'm super nervous and excited to see how it turns out. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I figured I'd get it done as soon as possible so I could keep your interest, but I am a college student so don't expect daily updates! Please review and let me know what you think of the plot so far! I would really appreciate feedback and suggestions (but no promises on me using those suggestions!). I'm just rolling with the story, seeing where my imagination takes me. I'm as excited as you guys are to see how this turns out. Hope you enjoy the ride, cause I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bumpy one.**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **stiltsrosko OUT!**


	3. Chapter 3: Natasha is Very Rudely Woken

**Chapter 3- Natasha Has a Very Rude Awakening**

By the time Percy and Annabeth had finally reached Sally's apartment, both were out of breath.

"We've got to *gasp* get to camp Percy!" Annabeth panted. "You used your powers! As soon as that women wakes up they'll be chasing us more than monsters!"

"I know!" Percy growled, "But what else was I supposed to do? We couldn't use our weapons, and she certainly wasn't holding back. I had to try and stop her before she told anyone else."

"I understand why you did it but that doesn't change the fact that we're no longer safe here. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and she'll forget what happened. You did throw her pretty hard." Percy raised his eyebrow at her. The luck of a demigod was never that good. She rolled her eyes. "I know, but there's a chance. But the sooner we get to camp the better. They won't be able to find us there."

Percy sighed. "Alright. Should we go on foot, take Paul's Prius, or the ocean? Ocean would be fastest, but foot might be safer, there are too many people around right now."

Annabeth thought about it for a moment. "The Prius, traffic isn't too bad and it's not super conspicuous. Are they home right now?"

Percy shrugged. "They should be, but I'm not 100% certain. Let's go"

Once they had their breathing under control they sprinted up the stairs in record time. Percy burst into the apartment and called out "Mom? Paul?"

"In the kitchen, honey!" Sally's voice called out.

She was just standing up from the table when Percy and Annabeth burst into the room. "What's wrong?" she asked, immediately seeing the seriousness and nervousness in their faces. She rubbed her slightly rounded stomach nervously.

"Not monsters, for once, this time its mortals. Some chick was following us, and we had to ditch her in the park. We're going to head to camp to lay low for a while. Can we take the Prius?"

"It's in the shop" Paul replied, moving to stand next to his pregnant wife. "You'll have to get a cab." His face grew worried. Even though Percy wasn't technically his son, he had grown to care for the teenage demigod immensely.

Annabeth cursed. "It's probably safer if we walk. We can cut across the River and get to Long Island pretty easily. As long as we're careful we should be good."

Percy quickly hugged his mother and Paul before grabbing Annabeth's hand and sprinting out the door, snagging a blue cookie on his way out. "I'll IM you when we get there to let you know we're safe. Love you!"

"Love you too Percy. Please be safe!" Sally called after him, biting her lip worriedly.

Paul put his arm around her as they heard the door close and the hurried footsteps recede. "He'll be fine. He's faced a lot worse than a few mortals that have bitten off more than they can chew." 

Sally sighed. "I know, it's just… I don't want to lose him again."

The months Percy had been missing had been excruciating for Sally. Even after they knew that he was at a Roman camp, they hadn't had a clue as to his whereabouts or whether he was safe. She had worried every day, hoping and praying for news.

Then, she had checked her messages one morning, and hearing Percy's voice on the answering machine had felt like a kick in the stomach, causing her to immediately burst into tears. She had listened to the message repeatedly and hadn't stopped crying for at least an hour. Paul had come in after he heard her sobbing, and just sat there, holding her, waiting for her tears to stop.

When she had finally been calm enough to listen to what her son was saying, she shook her head as soon as she heard the word _quest_. That boy couldn't go anywhere without ending up on a quest to save the world.

Percy had sent her several Iris-messages from the Argo II, but she hadn't felt completely at peace until Percy had finally come home after the final battle and Gaea was defeated. She had hugged him so tightly Paul had to pry her off him, so he wouldn't suffocate.

That night, while Percy was sleeping, she had snuck into his room and just sat there watching him, running her fingers through his dark hair, her brain finally understanding he was safe, though she still didn't approve of his tattoo. _Romans,_ she thought, _such a barbaric thing to do_.

And now, here she was, just having to let him go, not knowing when she would be able to hug him again. She sighed. She should be used to it by now. Percy had killed more monsters than almost anyone in Greek mythology, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him

 _Please Poseidon,_ she prayed. _Protect our son._

 **CNCNCNCNCNCNCNCNCNCNCNC**

Natasha slowly became aware of voices around her. As she slowly regained consciousness, the voices grew louder, and she realized that she was laying on a bed, and when she looked to around, she saw a familiar room. She was in the infirmary at Avengers Tower, a place she spent too much time in, and the yelling was coming from behind the door. She squinted in annoyance as the yelling reached a crescendo and caused her head to pound. What the heck was going on out there?

She started to understand the shouting.

"… ARE WANDERING AROUND NEW YORK AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE!?" Natasha winced, recognizing the voice of Director Fury, and started to feel sorry for whoever his anger was pointed at, having been on the receiving end of his tirades more times than she'd care to admit…

…so she was surprised when she heard a voice shouting back, "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO, LEAVE HER?!" She recognized Clint's voice easily, and was impressed by her fellow spy's courage, but was distracted from the rest of the conversation by a familiar curly-haired head entering her vision.

"Nat, you're awake!" Bruce Banner cried happily. She smiled at him and started to sit up before the pounding in her head suddenly spiked and forced her to stop. Bruce quickly walked over to her, helped lower her down gently, and started one of his routine check-ups. "How are you feeling?" He asked unnecessarily.

"Like Steve used my head for shield practice," she groaned, clenching her eyes shut and waiting for Bruce to finish his check-up. Bruce chuckled and kept working. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"Just a few hours, it's getting close to eight now and the sun set an hour ago. Clint brought you here instead of SHIELD HQ because it was closer. Which is another reason for the current shouting match that was going on outside." Natasha winced as a particularly loud curse came through the door and nodded. "You can always count on Clint to piss people off," she muttered, just loud enough for Bruce to hear. He smiled as he finished.

"Okay, you have a minor concussion and several bruises that won't take too long to heal. One day in here and you should be fine." Bruce said, then grinned. "But, knowing you, you will probably totally disregard my instructions, so I'm prescribing you with some Advil." He handed her a few tablets and a glass of water.

She chuckled, nodded her thanks and quickly downed the painkillers while Bruce opened the door, allowing Natasha to see Cint and Fury standing nose-to-nose while continuing their shouting match.

"Hey ladies, somebody want to come help me?" she called, and the boys immediately stopped arguing. Clint rushed in, while Fury walked in with in a slightly more dignified manner.

"Nat! How's your head?" Clint asked, concern all over his face.

"Absolutely fantastic Clint. Why wouldn't it be?" she rolled her eyes and Clint relaxed.

"Well at least your sarcasm isn't broken."

Fury stepped over to Natasha. "Agent Romanoff, what happened? I need a report, stat."

Natasha closed her eyes and tried to remember how she got this massive headache, mostly so she could punish whoever gave it to her, and her fight with Jackson slowly started to emerge from her foggy memory. She sat up, earning a stern glare from Bruce (which she ignored), and started talking.

"He was still with his girlfriend…" "Her name is Annabeth Chase." Fury interrupted, earning a glare from Natasha that even he looked uncomfortable with. "Continue Romanoff."

Nat rolled her eyes. "They entered the park, and I followed in, stuck to the shrubbery so I could keep within earshot. They were making idle chitchat, turned off on a lesser used path. I nearly lost them, and by the time I entered a clearing I thought they had already passed through. I stepped forward to follow, but then I saw Perseus Jackson step out of the trees on the opposite side, staring right at me. I tried to play it off, pretending to be lost, but he somehow knew I had been following him. He even knew all the different colors of the jackets I'd been alternating between! Then, out of nowhere, I get pushed from behind. I turn around, and there's the blonde… Annabeth, right? … behind me in a perfect fighting stance! And for some reason holding a baseball hat." She muttered in confusion. **(A/N: in case some of you were wondering why Annabeth has her invisibility cap back, its because the magic was restored by Athena during Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles crossovers. Highly recommend reading them! They are canon)**

Natasha shook her head. "I don't know how she got behind me. I should have seen her. You all know I would have." The three men nodded. Clint knew from experience that it was impossible to sneak up on Natasha. "But there she was. She engaged me, and she fought like an assassin! It was like she'd been trained in the Red Room. I managed to push her back for a minute, and that was when I called you Clint, but before I could finish I got pushed over. And it wasn't Annabeth or Jackson, it was _water_! That's why the line went dead, the earpiece shorted out. I turned around and the kid had his hand stretched out towards me like he'd just controlled the water. I could see that there was a stream behind him, but it was on the other side of the clearing. Annabeth yelled something at him, then he threw his other arm out at me and suddenly a huge wave picked me up, threw me across the clearing, and I guess knocked me out because I don't remember anything after that. Next thing I knew I was waking up to you boys' lovely argument, and a fantastic headache." Natasha glared pointedly at Clint and Fury. "Any more questions?"

Fury shook his head. "That'll do for now. Get some rest Agent Romanoff, we'll let you know if we find them." Then he grinned, "I'll make sure you get the first hit."

All three of them left the room as Natasha laid back down and closed her eyes. The last thing she thought was how hard she was going to punch Jackson when they found him.


	4. Chapter 4:Percy Gets Really, REALLY Mad!

**Chapter 4: Percy Gets REALLY Mad!**

 **A/N: Thank you all for your patience! In my defense I had a midterm to study for. Here is your reward. An extra-EXTRA long chapter and a big fight scene (forgive me if its bad). Also, if you're from New York, sorry if I get the locations and cities wrong. I'm just doing the best with what I've got.**

 **Read and Review please! The more you review, the more you inspire me to write, and I love reading them! Constructive criticism is appreciated, as this is the first story and I'm just learning as I go. Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story, it warms my heart every time I see those numbers grow.**

Percy and Annabeth emerged from the East River completely dry, as per usual. Percy's powers as a son of Poseidon really came in handy when you needed to make a quick escape. Percy had taken them as far north as he dared up the East River before it emptied into Long Island Sound. Then they carefully came ashore when they were sure no one was watching. As soon as they were clear, they started jogging in the direction of Half-Blood Hill. They did have to cut through a part of Queens, but that was unavoidable.

Annabeth cursed as she saw the number of security cameras around them. "If anyone is looking for us they'll find us in two seconds thanks to all these cameras! There's just no avoiding them!"

Percy quickly glanced around as well. "Well we can't help it. This is the fastest way to camp. How far out do you think we are?" 

Annabeth quickly answered. "A few more hours. We won't make it before sunset that's for sure. Probably around nine or ten." She grimaced, clearly unhappy at how long it would take them, but Camp was on the other side of Long Island and there was no getting around that.

Percy grunted, and increased his pace. Annabeth matched him, and they kept running casually through Queens, praying to the gods that they would make it in time.

 **STSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS**

"Sir!" Fury turned towards the agent who had called him, breaking off his conversation with Agent Barton, Stark, and Steve Rogers. Natasha and Bruce still in the infirmary, finishing up. They were still at Avengers Tower, which was now the permanent home of several S.H.I.E.L.D agents that were currently searching for any glimpse of Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase. "We've got 'em!"

Fury raced over, closely followed by the Avengers. "Where?"

"Northern Brooklyn, heading east. Just two hours ago." The agent pulled up a security camera outside a bank, close to the edge o. They all saw the two teenagers jogging casually down the busy street, heading towards the rest of Long Island.

"Where are they going?" Stark wondered. "There's nothing out there besides some farms and residential areas."

"I don't care where they're going, where are they now?"

The agent glanced back at her screen. "Based on their current path, they're most likely headed for the opposite side of the island." She looked back at Fury. "There aren't as many cameras out there, so we can't get their exact location yet, but now that we have a smaller range, we should have them in a few minutes."

Fury nodded and walked away with the Avengers, leaving the agent to continue her work.

"So, Director," Tony began, returning to the topic they'd been discussing, "how are we going to handle these kids."

Fury sighed. "I have no choice but to send in the Avengers. They attacked and injured Romanoff, something we can't overlook, and now that we know for sure that Jackson has the ability to manipulate water, we have to deal with this. If they could take down Romanoff that easily, I'm not taking any risks." He gestured at the three of them. "As soon as we have their location, I'm sending the whole team out. I want them both, but Jackson is priority."

"I don't care what you do as long as I get in a few hits." Natasha said as she strolled in with Dr. Banner.

"Good to see you up and about Natasha." Steve said, nodding his head towards her like a true gentleman. "You sure you're up for this?"

"No teenager gets to knock me unconscious and not pay the price." She said fiercely. "So, who's coming?"

"The four of you." Fury turned to Banner, "Sorry Doctor but I don't exactly feel like filling out more paperwork to explain damages and Thor hasn't been seen since New York." Bruce nodded. He'd expected this, and to be honest he was actually grateful.

"And yet you still want Stark to come," Clint said wonderingly.

Tony glared at him. "Just you wait _Hawkeye_ , these taunts are going to come back to haunt you."

"Sure, Tony. Keep telling yourself that." Clint winked. Steve prepared to jump in as interference when the inevitable fight broke out when a shout of victory came from the other side of the room. "Found them!" The same agent from earlier manipulated the screen so it was projected on the wall. "Live feed in a suburb 20 miles due east from the border of Brooklyn. Bottom left of the screen."

They all stared at the glowing projection. Sure enough, there they were, one tall boy with dark hair closely shadowed by a blonde girl, cutting across the street and heading out of the camera's range.

The agent sighed. "We got lucky. Another minute and we would have lost them. Facial recognition is having problems with them for some reason. If an agent downstairs hadn't glimpsed them, we'd still be looking."

Steve turned to his teammates. "Suit up, we're leaving in two minutes." Tony pressed a button on his watch and a dozen compartments popped out the wall. One glance showed that they held each Avengers' battle gear.

He ignored their shocked looks. "I have extras stashed around just in case." He pushed another button. A moment later he was assaulted by flying pieces of metal that quickly molded to his body, completely encasing him in the Iron Man suit. "Hurry up, slowpokes!" He called, before flying out the window and into the night sky towards Long Island for reconnaissance before the rest of the team got there. The rest quickly changed and raced to the Quin-Jet on the balcony before flying off in pursuit.

"Now I want a nice clean extraction." Fury directed over their intercoms. "Clint, use your tranquilizer arrows, Natasha, darts. Stark, please don't kill them."

"Have a little faith Director, seriously it was only one time." Stark was zeroing in on the suburb where they had spotted the teens. From there he flew east, following the path they had been sticking to all day, before he finally spotted two heat signatures in the darkness, both sprinting, towards the beach which was two miles away, across a stream, a few hills, and a few strawberry fields.

"I've got eyes on the targets. How close are you guys?" 

"Give us two minutes Tony," Steve replied. "Stall them if you can."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Tony muttered and quickly dove right in front of the running couple, startling them to a stop. As he rose from his crouched position and angled his palms at them, readying his repulsor rays, he could see the slight surprise on their faces that was quickly hidden by impassiveness and determination.

"Ahhhh, kids these days, huh? Always messing around, getting addicted, and attacking the Avengers. Honestly, you kids should have just called it a day." Tony shook his head with mock disappointment. "Honestly, I just wanted to enjoy my Friday."

"So did I," Jackson muttered, but before Stark could challenge him on that, the blonde girl, Annabeth stepped in.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" she challenged, "Why can't you guys just leave us alone?" Perseus cut in, "And what the heck are the Avengers?"

Tony went completely still, clearly in shock. "You're telling me that you've never even heard of the Avengers?" his tone was incredulous, like someone had just told him he couldn't have any ice cream. "Have you been living under a rock?

The boy grimaced. "That's a nice way of putting it." His face hardened. "Now are you going to let us pass or are we going to force our way past." Tony could tell from his tone and his eyes that this kid wasn't bluffing. "Hey guys, you seeing this?" he muttered into his com.

"Yeah we've got you." Natasha said, "This kid is hard core. We're in position around you. If the kids even move, they'll be so shot full of tranquilizers they'll be out for a month."

"Finally, you guys are actually on time for a fight." Tony rolled his eyes. "Jarvis, break it down for me."

"Yes sir." Jarvis' cool voice replied. "Based on their body language, they are accustomed to fighting hand-to-hand, as well as with weapons though they don't appear to have any at the moment. Might I suggest keeping your distance while giving Agents Romanoff and Barton a clear line of fire." A quick scan of the surrounding forest and the sky revealed the locations of Tony's three teammates. Clint was hanging out of the back of the Quin-Jet, Natasha was sitting in a tree to his left, and Steve was tensed in the trees opposite, ready to race to his side if he needed it. Tony turned his attention back to the teenagers. "How about this, kids. You two come with me and we can talk this out, and nobody has to get hurt." 

Jackson laughed. He freaking laughed. "Yeah, somehow I don't think that's how it's going to down. You're really confident aren't you, you and your three teammates." He grinned and stared pointedly at each of the Avenger's positions. "Not bad, but I've definitely seen better." Suddenly, the kid charged him, and Tony had to take off quickly to avoid getting tackled.

"Rogers get in there now!" Fury's voice barked in his ear. "Barton, Romanoff, permission to engage targets."

They immediately started firing while Steve charged Percy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Annabeth dodging the arrows and darts, which were nearly invisible in the darkness, while charging Natasha's position. Jackson was dodging Tony's repulsor beams, and Steve rushed him from behind. But Jackson somehow sensed him coming, spun around, and quickly engaged him. Even with his shield, the kid was finding ways to slip past his guard and land some small, but still _very_ painful hits.

One particularly hard punch had him stumbling back, looking at him in awe as Tony restarted his attack, since he'd had to stop once Steve had engaged the kid. This guy was amazing! He'd never fought anyone who could go toe-to-toe with him like that. Steve stared as Jackson expertly evaded Tony's fire, like he'd been training for his entire life to fight.

Suddenly, a short scream cut through the sounds of the battle in front of him.

Steve spun and saw the blonde girl fall to her knees, while pulling an arrow out of her arm, and he saw a line of blood making its way down her arm. He grinned. They finally got her. She'd be knocked out in t a few moments. "Certainly took you guys long enough. I thought you were expert marksman?" he said into his commlink.

"Says the super soldier who just got pummeled by a teenager." Natasha replied. "We're moving in to restrain her. Give me cover Cl…" Suddenly an anguished cry came from behind him, cutting the rest of Natasha's sentence off.

"Annabeth!" Steve turned and saw Percy staring at her with a terrified expression on his face. Suddenly he yelled in pain. During that small distraction, Tony had finally managed to hit Jackson in the shoulder.

"Ha! Finally!" Stark slowly lowered himself to the ground. "Alright, now here's how this is going to go. You're going to surrender to us and Ms. Chase over there won't get hurt anymore." Natasha had just left the trees, heading in Annabeth's direction.

For a moment, it seemed that the boy would agree, but then he looked at Annabeth again, and something in his eyes snapped and pure rage filled his face. "You will not touch her!" He yelled and closed his eyes, stretched his uninjured hand out.

Steve was taken aback by the boy's outburst and backed up a few steps. Suddenly, water came out of nowhere and slammed into Tony, Steve and Natasha, pushing them back to the edge of the trees. After regaining his feet, he saw all three of his teammates, even Clint who had been in the jet, laying next to him on the grass. He looked around and saw a wall of water blocking them off from Percy and Annabeth.

He could just barely see the young man bending over Annabeth a few meters away, before attempting to lift her, before screaming in pain and settling her back on the ground. He looked around, desperation all over his face. He locked eyes with Steve, and he was shocked by the amount of hate and anger rolling off the kid in waves. Percy broke the eye contact, and slowly summoned the water from the wall towards him. Steve could tell it was weakening the barrier, but then he saw Perseus make a small cushion underneath the girl with care. As he stood, he started manipulating the water, so it held Annabeth in front of him, but before he could start moving, he once again fell to the ground.

That's when Steve noticed the dart sticking out of his leg. He looked at Natasha and could see that she had forced her arm and the gun through the liquid barrier separating them. She grinned triumphantly. "Director Fury, we've got them." She spoke into her comm. "Both are slightly injured and hit with tranquilizers. Send in Retrieval."

"Wait! He's getting up!" Tony pointed at Percy, who was desperately trying to stagger to his feet, but he kept falling back down. Annabeth was clearly already out cold.

"That's not possible." Natasha whispered. But there it was. The Avengers watched as the barrier continued to weaken. Percy seemed to realize he wouldn't be able to stand up and reached his arm out to Annabeth. At first Steve thought he was trying to reach her, but then he realized that he was really just pushing her away as fast as he could. Sending her towards the hills in the distance.

At this point the barrier separating them was almost completely gone, and Steve could hear the Retrieval Team's Jet approaching quickly from the west. As soon as he could, Steve burst through the now thin wall and ran over to the now collapsed boy. You could tell just by looking at him that he was exhausted, but his hand was still stretched out towards the girl, who you could just barely see in the distance, disappearing behind a large hill with a giant pine tree on top. As soon as she was out of sight, Jackson's hand dropped to the ground with an air of finality, as if he was accepting his fate.

Steve knelt next to him. The boy glared up at him, but Steve could see the pain in his eyes, not just physical, though Steve could see the damage that Tony's weapon had done but emotional as well. He carefully rolled the boy onto his back. "You love her, don't you?" Steve asked quietly.

His glare intensified and now determination replaced the pain in his eyes. "You'll never touch her. Not so long as I'm breathing."

Suddenly a swift punch nailed Perseus in his temple and his eyes immediately shut, and his tense body went limp in Steve's arms.

Steve looked up at Natasha in shock. "Man, that felt good. Revenge does tend to make one feel better."

Steve glared at her. "Was that really necessary? He was already tranquilized."

Natasha shrugged. "Fury promised me a punch." She then grinned evilly. "Now he'll know how I felt this afternoon. I still have a little bit of a headache you know."

Steve shook his head and then stood up, allowing the Retrieval team to swarm the boy's now unconscious body. They cuffed his arms behind him, gagged him, and then quickly dragged him into the waiting Quin-Jet. The Avengers boarded their own and set off for home. Tomorrow, one way or another, they would be getting some answers from the young Perseus.

The team engaged in their usual banter on the way back to the Tower. Tony had chosen to join them so he could make fun of the two super spies who hadn't been able to hit one teenager, but Steve was silent for the whole trip. He couldn't help thinking about the boy's actions. It was clear now that he'd been holding back for the entire fight until Annabeth had gotten hurt. It confused Steve. He could have ended the fight in less than a minute if he'd wanted to, but he'd held back.

"…ap? Earth to Cap! Anybody home?" Tony's voice jolted him out of his thoughts and back into the conversation. "You good, old man? Is your age starting to catch up with you?" Tony grinned.

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm just thinking about Jackson. Doesn't it seem strange to you guys that even though he could have ended the fight in a few seconds, he chose to let it drag out?" He questioned.

Tony shrugged. "He probably didn't want to reveal his powers, which were, by the way, awesome! I wonder how he did it. It couldn't have been mechanical, Jarvis would have detected it a mile away. But I have been looking into…" Steve tuned Tony out and returned to thinking about Perseus. Stark's explanation make sense, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was wrong. It was something about his face when he'd asked the boy about Annabeth. That hadn't been the face of a killer or a terrorist, that was the face of someone who just wanted to protect someone he'd loved. Steve had seen the same face on soldiers nearly eighty years ago. Men who would do anything to keep the people they cared about from getting hurt. He couldn't get the image out of his head.

As he was thinking, a chill set into his bones. Steve couldn't help wondering if they'd made a huge mistake.


	5. Chapter 5: The Gods SUCK!

**Chapter 5: The Gods SUCK!**

Percy was surrounded by fog. As he looked around, he could see nothing but the thick gray clouds that were the same color as Annabeth's eyes. His mind turned to her and he smiled as he thought of his beloved Wise Girl.

"Percy…" he heard a familiar voice call him from the fog, and he instantly ran towards it, thinking it might lead to a way out. A few seconds later, he burst out of the fog onto a sunlit beach, confirming his suspicions.

"Dad?" he called out, sea-green eyes searching the beach for the god of the ocean.

"Hello Percy." Percy turned and there was his father Poseidon, standing next to him.

"Hey. What's going on, Dad? Where am I?" he immediately launched into his questions.

"Unfortunately, Percy, you're dreaming. The mortals' government have you." Poseidon's face fell. "I couldn't come to you in person. As soon as I leave you will wake up, and I don't have much time. Listen to me son, you mustn't tell…"

Percy remembered the fight and cursed. "Wait… Is Annabeth alright?" he looked back at his father, fear in his eyes.

Poseidon nodded, a slight smile on his face. "You managed to get her over the camp borders before they got to you, but it sapped your strength to manipulate so much water. Now please Percy, listen to me. You cannot reveal who and what are to these mortals. We cannot interfere for the same reason. If they discover who and what you are, they will hunt down every demigod to extinction. The Mist is failing, and now…" 

Percy's eyes went wide. "The Mist… is failing? How?"

The god's eyes darkened, and so did the sky. "Stupid Norse. They've broadened the mortals' minds, and now they are beginning to accept the presence of the supernatural. It's slowly tearing the Mist apart. Soon the camps and Olympus could be revealed. That's why they were able to see you using your powers…" The god's form suddenly flickered, and thunder rumbled across the sky. The edges of Percy's vision were slowly dissolving. "I only have a few more moments. Remember Percy. Stay strong, keep the secret and watch your back. Something big is coming." He looked at his son with sad eyes. It was now the only thing that Percy could see. "I'm sorry, my son." And then everything went black.

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPF**

Percy started to see light filtering through his closed eyelids. He grimaced slightly as he felt a mild headache start pounding in his head. He started focusing on his surroundings. He was laying on a hard surface and when he tried to move, he quickly realized that his arms and legs were restrained. Panic started to rise in him and he had to force himself to remain calm.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was immediately blinded. It was a lot brighter than he had though. After his eyes adjusted, he could make out a white room that seriously needed an interior decorator.

As the grogginess slowly cleared from his mind, he started noticing the pain. Like, a lot of pain. He gritted his teeth as he felt it reach full force and turned his head to see his entire left shoulder completely encased in bandages, along with other, smaller, bandages across his bare chest. He was also wearing white, sterile pants, but the familiar weight of Riptide was missing from his pocket. When he started examining his left arm he saw an IV and other tubes sticking out, each connected to a machine off to the side. Something told Percy it wasn't just for medicine.

He closed his eyes and remembered his conversation with his father, ignoring his headache. _You cannot reveal who and what are to these mortals._ He'd said. Like he'd ever do that anyways. _Something big is coming_. Percy groaned internally. Just when he thought that he was going to make it to New Rome with Annabeth, the Greek world found another way to just pull him back in.

But what Percy found most concerning was Poseidon's comment about the Mist. How could it be failing? And who the heck were the Norse? Percy did not need angry Viking monsters right now.

Suddenly, the wall seemed to slide open, revealing to men and a woman, two of which Percy realized as the two that Annabeth had engaged when they had fought that night. He glared at them, especially the man, because he had been the archer who hurt Annabeth.

The other man was straight out of a spy movie. He was tall, African-American, wore completely black, complete with a trench coat an awesome eye-patch, almost identical, Percy felt a stab of pain, to the one that Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis, had once worn.

Mr. Spy interrupted his analysis. "So. Perseus Jackson. We have a few questions for you."

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPF**

Tony and Steve sat quietly outside the infirmary/makeshift interrogation room, watching via camera as Fury, Clint, and Natasha entered. They had been watching him for the past few minutes, and Fury had insisted they wait a few minutes after Perseus woke up to see his reaction. To his frustration, the boy had barely reacted at all, besides a momentary struggle when he first returned to consciousness and a slight wince of pain. Tony was sitting at a control panel and Steve was standing behind him, arms crossed as the three super spies entered the room.

They had been immediately alerted when Jackson had started returning to consciousness. Avengers Tower's infirmary was equipped with a lot of different toys, and Jackson was currently hooked up to several of them. They had been able to read the boy's spiking brain waves and predict how long it would take him to wake up, so they'd had plenty of time to prepare.

Tony may have gone a little overboard when he hit him and using his water powers seemed to have tired him. That, in addition to the knock-out dart and Nat's hard hit to his pressure point should have been enough to leave the kid unconscious for nearly a week, by Jarvis' estimates. But after only two days, Perseus' brain waves had spiked, and Jarvis had called them all back to his room.

As Tony watched the three S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives entered the room and saw Jackson's eyes narrow as he watched them all closely.

"He's already analyzing." Steve muttered. Tony glanced at him. He'd been acting strange ever since the Long Island fight. Tony suspected that Steve felt bad for the kid, and as he looked at the bandages around Jackson's shoulder, he had to admit that he felt bad about hitting him so hard. But still they had to figure out who this kid worked for, and whether or not he was a threat. Besides, he'd hit Natasha, and Tony could get a tad bit protective of his friends.

"Wonder how long he'll hold out before spilling," Tony snorted, trying to lure Steve into conversation. "From what I've heard, S.H.I.E.L.D. is pretty good about manipulating people. I've always wanted to watch."

Steve sighed. "I've got to be honest Tony, this doesn't feel right. He's still just a kid. We're supposed to be protecting kids like him, not interrogating them. Look at him, he's barely a legal adult! And…" He drifted off. Tony blinked, and his mouth dropped slightly. He hadn't expected Steve to actually open up. He'd expected their usual light banter, but it was obvious that this had been weighing on him for the past two days.

Tony was about to press him before he was distracted by Fury. He quickly turned back to the monitor, not wanting to miss anything. He made a mental note to question the Capsicle later

"So. Perseus Jackson. We have a few questions for you." The kid's eyes revealed nothing as he stared at them impassively, seeming to not have a care in the world, which was impressive, considering the fact that he was strapped to a table, and yet he still seemed to be perfectly in control. A few moments of silence passed.

"Perseus…"

"It's Percy, thanks." The boy interrupted. "And I never did catch your names."

Natasha's eyes widened slightly, shocked by his presumptuous tone, but before she could speak, Fury replied, gesturing for her to stand down

"It's alright. Director Fury, of S.H.I.E.L.D." He then gestured to the two agents next to him. "These are Agents Romanoff and Barton," gesturing to each of them in turn. "Now that we've been introduced, Percy, can we move along?" 

"Sure, why not?" Percy replied, tone slightly smug. "First question, what in Hades do you think gives you the right to kidnap me?" He then paused before adding thoughtfully, "And what is S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Tony snorted. The kid, _No, Percy,_ he reminded himself, was doing exactly what he would do in that situation, albeit with a lot more dignity than he would've been able to muster. Turn the situation around, put yourself in control of the situation. But to Fury's credit, he remained unflustered. "The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division…" Percy snorted at the name, but Fury continued, "has authority given to us by the government to secure and detain the bigger threats to the United States, and occasionally the Earth's, safety. And based on what we've seen of you Mr. Jackson, that authority stands."

Percy laughed. "Me, a threat to the United States? Good one, _Director_." He said the name as if it was unpleasant for him to say. The grin then slid from his face. "So, if I'm a threat, why am I here? I'm pretty sure you guys would leave me alive if I'm such a _big threat._ " The sarcasm was practically dripping from his voice, but his face was deadly serious.

Tony saw Steve flinch, and he could guess why. No teenager should be so blunt about their own possible death, regardless of what they'd been through. This kid talked like stuff like this happened to him on a daily basis. Tony swore mentally. _What has this kid been through?_ He was starting to understand Cap's obvious reluctance to this whole scenario.

"You are here, Mr. Jackson, because we need information. Both about you, and who you work for." Fury's surprisingly calm voice emanated from the speakers, drawing Tony's gaze away from Percy. "Your powers, origins… accomplices." Fury grinned slightly. "Annabeth Chase, wasn't it? Very admirable, the way you sacrificed yourself to save her. It makes me wonder how deep she is in this."

Tony saw Percy's shocking sea-green eyes darken with anger. "If you even touch her, I'll make you wish you were never born," he growled. Fury had obviously hit a sensitive spot. Tony didn't doubt that this kid would do anything to protect that girl from being harmed in any way. "You'll never get anything out of me." With that, turned his head to face the ceiling, and ignored the three like they were nonexistent.

Fury turned and left the room, flanked by Clint and Natasha. As soon as the door closed, he turned to Tony. "Knock him out. We're moving him."

Tony could see the annoyance in his eyes and decided that now wasn't the best time to raise questions. He relayed the instructions to Jarvis, and as soon as Percy's eyes had closed, Fury turned on his comm and called in the guards waiting just outside. "Put him in the Hulk cell. I'm not taking any chances." He then swept out of the room, the two agents still following.

Tony's eyebrows shot up with surprise, but when he thought about it, Fury's logic made sense. They didn't know how the kid could manipulate water, and in that chamber, they could regulate the amount of water vapor he was exposed to.

As the kid was wheeled out, Tony studied his face. It was already contorted in a slight grimace, like he was having a nightmare, and Tony could sense the disapproval radiating from the super soldier next to him. This kid had clearly been through a lot, and Tony wondered what it could have been.

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPF**

 _Percy… Percy… Percy… PERCY!_

Annabeth eyes shot open, giving Will a heart attack as she woke suddenly and immediately sat straight up, screaming.

"Percy!"

"Annabeth calm down! You're safe!" Will placed his hands gently on Annabeth's shoulders, slowly lowering her back onto her cot.

Annabeth's breathing steadied slightly, and she started to take in her surroundings. She relaxed as she realized that she was in the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. She'd recognize it anywhere, and as she looked around, she saw Chiron in wheelchair form, a worried expression on his face. She calmed down even more.

But then she realized that one person was missing. "Where's Percy?"

Chiron's expression told her everything. Her heart dropped.

"We don't know, Annabeth." Chiron sighed. "We found you on the camp-side of Half-Blood Hill, but Percy was nowhere near you."

"Annabeth, what do you remember?" Will asked slowly, praying to the gods that she remained calm.

Annabeth closed her eyes, focusing on the last thing she could remember. Suddenly, her mind was overloaded as dark images of a fight started flashing through her mind. She could see Percy, fighting a man in red-gold armor and a man in a star-spangled suit with a shield.

She was dodging arrows and darts that were no more than flashes in the night, reflecting of the beams of light the armored-man was firing at Percy, so she let her instincts take over, letting her body react. She listened for the tell-tale whistle of the projectiles as they came her way, while occasionally sneaking a peak at Percy, who was doing fine.

Just as she was about to make a break for Percy, so they could take cover, a searing pain erupted in her arm, causing her to cry out. She looked down to see an arrow sticking out of her arm. Immediately, she started to feel tired and dizzy, before collapsing. The last thing she remembered was Percy yelling her name.

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPF**

Chiron bit his lip worriedly. He knew that if he wasn't in wheelchair form, his tail would be swishing about nervously. Annabeth had just finished telling them what she remembered and was now arguing with Will about where Percy could be.

Chiron, however, was panicking. The mortals had interfered in their world, and not in a minor way. No, they had confronted and fought the two of the most famous demigods in the Greek and Roman camps, and possibly taken the most powerful demigod born since… Chiron didn't even know when.

Annabeth had already informed him via Iris-Message about the fight in Central Park, while informing him that they were on the way to camp. That alone had raised his suspicions. Now it was worse. Why the Mist had failed to intervene, Chiron wasn't sure. All he knew was that the mortals now had an important piece of a puzzle that the gods had prevented them solving since the fall of the Roman Empire.

Chiron was pulled out of his thoughts as he saw the daughter of Athena struggling to stand. "We have to find him!" She said determinedly, standing shakily, and started walking towards the door.

"Annabeth, slow down!" Will cried, before rushing over to steady her as she stumbled. "Based on what you told us you were hit with a strong sedative. You've been out for more than two days!"

Annabeth shot him a death glare that he took unfazed. He was used to demigods disregarding their health. "All the more reason to get out there and find him. If you haven't heard from him in the past two days…"

"There's another problem, Annabeth." Chiron said softly. Annabeth turned and looked at him. "Ever since we found you, helicopters, with the same logo as you described earlier as the helicopter from the park, have been flying around the area every few hours. So far, the Mist has protected us, but if it didn't divert the mortals' attention already, I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to leave camp."

Annabeth looked at him with shock in her eyes. "Are you telling me to that we're going to abandon Percy?"

Chiron winced at her sharp words but didn't back down. "So far, Percy is the only one they have seen with powers, but if that changes, the entire Greek world could come to light. We can't allow that, not now while we are still recovering from Gaea's attack."

Annabeth sobered as she remembered all the demigods that had given their lives. "I understand Chiron, but that doesn't mean we can just forget about him!"

"We're not Annabeth. We just need to be patient. I prom…" Suddenly Chiron was interrupted as the infirmary door burst open. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle of Delphi, walked in, followed by Connor and Travis Stoll. As the three turned to her, they could see that her eyes were glowing, and green mist was following her. She stopped and slowly turned to Chiron, seemingly expectant.

Annabeth immediately understood. The Spirit of Delphi was waiting for a question, though Annabeth knew that for the Oracle to seek her out, it had to be bad. She'd heard about the incident with the old oracle and the Hunters of Artemis. "What is coming?" Chiron asked.

Rachel's mouth opened, and green mist poured out of her. The voice of the Delphi then said:

 _The Hero of Olympus, the sea god's son_

 _Alone can unite Earth and our Pantheon._

 _Together with those who would seek to avenge,_

 _He must defeat the Pit lest it takes its revenge._

 _Beware, for the Veil has already been torn_

 _And fear may destroy those who are god-borne._

 _But together Earth's heroes and the great demigod_

 _May yet defeat Tartarus and return to home's sod._

Rachel collapsed into the arms of the Stoll brothers as the prophecy finished and the mist dissipated, while Annabeth, Will, and Chiron stared at her in shock.

"Another Great Prophecy" Chiron said in wonder.

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPFPF**

Miles away, Percy's eyes opened as he once again regained consciousness, and he groaned, knowing what his dream meant.

"Not again," he groaned.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! SO, SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG! But in my defense, I've had three midterms to study for in the past week and it hasn't been pleasant. But here it is! I tried to get in as much as possible to make up for the wait, though the prophecy had me stumped for a while. If you don't like it, keep in mind that I'm writing this at 2am, so stick with me.**

 **So now the demigods know that Tartarus is coming, and Percy (who heard it in a dream) knows he has to word with the Avengers to beat him. Should be fun to watch huh?**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed this story! We're at 4000 views guys! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! That along with 70 favorites and 124 followers is definitely boosting my motivation to get you guys chapters!**

 **Quick Poll: Who thinks Percy should just play it cool and sit through some interrogations and who thinks he should just go crazy and bust out like we all know he can? REVIEW!**

 **Responses to Reviews (don't expect this every time you give a review pls):**

 **chimera629: Thanks for your constructive criticism. I did my best to remain consistent with the canon story, but I'm sorry if some of it just doesn't add up for you. I'm glad that you're still reading my story though and that you find it worth correcting!**

 **Mae: Your review honestly made me tear up! I'm glad that you thought that fight sequence worked out (it was the first one I'd ever written!) and that you approved of the matchups. Your support and reviews like that means the world to us writers! And yeah, I figured that would be the only way that the Avengers would ever get Percy is if he were protecting Annabeth.**

 **WeylandCorp 4: That is an absolutely brilliant idea! Keep an eye out for that in the future. However, for now, Percy's going to stick around and see where this goes.**

 **FavFan: Not going to lie, I thought about it, but Percy is still our cute, sassy, sometimes slow, adorable demigod. He's killed hundreds of monsters, but mortals are a different story. I'd like to think he'd hold back.**

 **surya25addanki: I just figured that Percy's still human, and the exertion of manipulating all that water for so long, the fight, the injury from Tony, and Natasha's punch right on his pressure point along with the strong sedative in the dart would be enough to knock him out for a little while. However, you are entitled to your opinion and I'm sorry if you don't agree. Thanks for reading!**

 **whycan'tIfindanamethatfits: Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it, I worked hard on that fight scene and sorry the update's late!**

 **Hermionechase16: Trust me it's coming** **! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Also love the name!**

 **And to all the Guests who reviewed: Thanks for all your support. Reviews make me happy and happy writers mean frequent updates so keep me posted on what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6: Here We Go Again

**A/N: Alright, so far, I think Percy sticking it out and showing Fury his sassiness is the popular option. I hope you all approve, but let's be honest, if Percy just busted out of SHIELD as soon as he could, this would be a boring story. And now that he knows there's (yes another) Great Prophecy, he knows he has to get the Avengers help.**

 **Chapter 6: Here We Go Again**

Percy stared up at the ceiling from his place on the floor. _Stupid demigod dreams, stupid Great Prophecies, stupid Fates. Why can't I get a freaking break!_ He slowly sat up and started studying his surroundings. He was in a cell, or at least, he thought it was a cell, with clear walls all around him. He could see the room outside was almost empty except for three guards stationed around the only visible door. _Well I'm flattered,_ he thought smugly. They had left him unrestrained, so at least he could move. He stood up and started studying the walls. They looked like glass, but he could tell they were much stronger. He wouldn't be punching his way out of this one.

His hand drifted to his pants, hoping to find Riptide in his pocket as always, but found that nothing was there. He looked down and saw that his jeans and t-shirt had been replaced with a set of gray pants and shirt, neither had pockets, and he was barefoot. So… no Riptide. There was also a metal band on his wrist for reasons he didn't yet know.

Percy sighed and sat down against the wall. He closed his eyes, and leaned his head back, trying to remember his dream. He'd been having a nightmare about Tartarus, as usual, a grotesque reenactment of his encounter with Kelly the empousai and her buddies (most persistent monster EVER!), Annabeth was dying, he was dying, et cetera, but then he'd been whisked away to something else. He could hear Annabeth faintly, along with Chiron, and then suddenly everything had become clear. He could see Rachel in full-on Delphi mode, as well as the concerned faces of some of his friends. The words of the prophecy were still swirling around in his head like the Oracle's green mist.

His face turned into a scowl. Another prophecy? Why did it always have to be him?! Why can't the Fates just leave him in peace? _What more do you want from me?_ He thought angrily. _I've already saved the world dozens of times! What more can I give?_

He slammed his head into the wall behind him, drawing startled looks from his guards, but he didn't care. He was so fed up with being a pawn for the Fates to play with.

A few minutes later, he calmed down. _Focus Seaweed Brain,_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like Annabeth's said in his head. _You've got a new prophecy to worry about it, whether you like it or not._

Percy groaned, but relaxed and started thinking.

 _The Hero of Olympus, the sea god's son._ Obviously, unfortunately, him as the only son of Poseidon in any of his forms. _Alone can unite Earth and our Pantheon._ Okay less clear, but probably some uniting stuff like the whole Greek-Roman thing. Hopefully this time it'll go better. _Together with those who would seek to avenge,_ OK, easy one, these guys did call themselves the Avengers, for once a clear riddle. _He must defeat the Pit lest it takes its revenge._ Percy paled. It wasn't enough for the Fates for him to fall into the deepest, darkest, most evil part of Hades? They had to let it chase him back to the mortal world? _Beware, for the Veil has already been torn_ The Veil? Is that another word for the Mist? Is that why they could see his powers? And why they weren't miraculously mind-wiped as usual? _And fear may destroy those who are god-borne._ If mortals were starting to see demigods and monsters than trouble was coming. Big trouble. And for Percy, big trouble means end-of-the-world. _But together Earth's heroes and the great demigod…_ Ok, definitely another team-up. Though this isn't starting much better than last time, at least there isn't a Leo here to blow there home down like last time. _May yet defeat Tartarus and return to home's sod._ Well it looks like another epic journey is in order and the King of the Pit, Percy gulped, is definitely involved.

Suddenly, Percy's mind was thrust back into his memories, when he had first seen Tartarus.

 _Riptide slipped from his grasp as he looked up at the Primordial of the Pit, Tartarus, stood above him and laughed. Laughed as he devoured the Titans into the dark maelstrom that stood in place of a face. Laughed as Damasen, Bob and Small Bob charged him, only to be sucked in as well. Laughed at Percy's despair, his hopelessness, his_ _ **fear**_ _. He laughed as Percy collapsed to his knees, sobbing, because he somehow knew that they wouldn't be coming back. That once they disappeared, they would not reach Elysium, they would never regenerate. They were gone._

 _Suddenly, more people kept flying by him. Thalia, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Rachel, Nico, Reyna, Dakota, Clarisse, Will, Greek and Roman demigods alike, most of them familiar. Each of them begging him to save them, to do something. But Percy was frozen on his knees, staring in horror as everyone he had ever known disappeared. And still the Primordial laughed, as Percy's world was ripped away._

 _The Stolls…_

 _Grover…_

 _Tyson…_

 _Paul…_

 _Mom…_

 _ **Annabeth…**_

 _His feet finally unfroze, and he ran towards her, grabbing her hand before she was sucked in. Their eyes met for one final time before he lost his grip and she was gone._

 _ **Gone.**_

 _They were all gone._

 _Percy's world was empty. He was hollow, and broken, and worst of all, utterly_ _ **alone.**_

 _It came as a relief, then, when he was picked up and drawn towards Tartarus. Finally, it would be over, and this pain would stop._

 _And so would the never-ending laughter._

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Steve was staring at the screen in front of him, watching Percy Jackson. He was sitting in his room in Avenger's Tower, a few floors above Percy. The kid had woken up for the first time a few minutes ago, and Steve had just witnessed his mini tantrum. He'd calmed down a minute or two ago, and Steve was about to head down to talk to him, but then he saw Percy's eyes grow wild and he started thrashing around, screaming in a panic.

Steve jumped from his chair. "Jarvis, alert the team that something's wrong with Percy Jackson!"

"Right away, sir." The AI replied, and Steve raced from the room, sprinting as fast as he could towards the stairs before taking them three at a time until he arrived at the right floor. He punched in the code so hard the screen cracked, and raced into the room.

The SHIELD agents posted at the door were startled at his sudden crazy entrance and tried to stop him, but one look at Steve's face and they backed off, one of them calling frantically for Fury in his earpiece.

Percy was writhing around on the floor of the cage, screaming his head off as tears streamed down his cheeks. As he rolled around, Steve could see that his thrashing has reopened the wound on his back, and a dark red stain was slowly spreading across his shirt. His eyes were closed tightly, and an expression of pure terror was plastered on his face.

Bruce ran into the room holding a tablet and looking worried. His eyes widened as he saw the state Percy was in and turned to Steve. "His heartbeat is skyrocketing! If we don't get him to calm down…" Bruce let his voice trail off, but Steve understood. He'd seen enough PTSD and panic attacks from soldiers during World War II. If Percy didn't calm down soon, the kid could die. And Steve couldn't let that happen.

He raced over to the control panel and started typing into the command to open the cage. The agents tried to stop him but were intercepted by Bruce.

As soon as the doors started moving, Steve raced in and knelt next to Percy, and started shaking him. "Percy! PERCY!" He yelled, trying to get the boy to wake up. When the boy didn't respond, Steve focused on immobilizing his arms. A few moments later, hands joined his and he looked to see Tony holding the boy's legs. He nodded once, and then focused on holding the boy's arms. Bruce came in a few moments later, pressing down on Percy's waist so his back was straight. Steve leaned over and started speaking in his ear.

"It's not real Percy. Whatever you see, it's not real. Just breathe, calm down…" Steve kept talking in his ears until the frantic heaving of Percy's chest had slowed down and he wasn't struggling quite so much.

Bruce slowly let go and checked his tablet. He sighed in relief. "His heartbeat slowed down. It's still fast but its manageable now."

Steve looked back at Percy's face. Tears were still pouring from his eyes, and he let out the occasional moan, but Steve felt like it was okay to let him go. As he slowly backed away, Percy's eyes shot open and he gasped. He shot to his feet and immediately took a fighting stance, eyes searching wildly. Steve put his hands up in front of him, trying to make sure the boy didn't see him as a threat. Tony and Bruce had already left, and the door was closed, so Steve figured this was a good time to try and talk. He didn't feel like getting another beating.

"It's alright Percy. I'm not here to hurt you."

Percy eyed him warily but slowly relaxed. "What happened? Where am I?" he asked angrily, but Steve could see the fear and vulnerability in his face that he was desperately trying to hide. If was heartbreaking for Steve, who had seen so many kids Percy's age go to war and either come out with that same look in their eyes, or not come out at all. He winced as he remembered Bucky, his best friend, another young man who'd had his life stolen from him and had never come home.

"You're in Avenger's Tower in New York. We had to bring you in for questioning, but you're safe." Percy's face hardened, though it was hard for him to look threatening when there were still tear tracks on his face.

"Did you see…"

Steve nodded. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Percy said, his face softening, perhaps he could hear the sincerity in Steve's voice. "Did I say anything?"

"No. You were just… screaming." Steve hesitated, not knowing how the boy would react.

Percy sighed, wiping his hand over his face, and finding the tear tracks. He laughed weakly. "I probably look like I'm mad huh?"

Steve smiled. "I've seen worse." He thought, thinking of Clint before his morning coffee. He glanced around, seeing the rest of the Avengers and at least a dozen SHIELD agents ready to jump in and defend him. He motioned for them to stand down. "So, does… this happen often?" He asked. As long as nobody interfered, Steve felt like he might be able to get the boy to open up.

Percy winced. "Unfortunately." He shuddered, clearly remembering.

Steve nodded. "I know how you feel." Percy looked up at him, skepticism clear in his eyes. "I may not look like it, but I was born in the 1930s." He paused for a second to let that sink in, but Percy nodded, completely unsurprised. "I fought in the Second World War. I know how wars can scar a person." Percy tensed. "I can tell you've seen war kid. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I'd recognize those scars anywhere."

Percy sighed. "Let's just say it's been a rough few years." **(Understatement of the century!)**

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Deep in the Underworld, Tartarus was ready. He had gathered as many monsters as he could, and now was the time to exact his revenge. "First team prepare to leave." His voice boomed across the plain that had previously held the Doors of Death, but were now, once again, filled with monsters. A small horde headed towards the chains that had once held the Doors. Because of Gaea's final push through the House of Hades, a small permanent rip had formed in the Veil between Tartarus and the mortal world. Thanks to Tartarus' direct influence, he could force monsters through this breach at a much faster rate than he would have been able to otherwise.

Tartarus laughed. The demigods would shortly be overwhelmed. Not even the combined might of the Greeks and Romans would be able to push back this horde, especially if the puny mortals attacked as well out of their fear.

But first, Tartarus wanted revenge. No demigod could escape him. This first wave would bring him the only two heroes to ever defy him. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would soon be his.

"General!" He called across the crowd. A Titan turned from across the field and quickly bowed.

"My lord! We are ready to leave." Koios, the Titan of the North and Intelligence, quickly responded to his liege. Of the four Titan brothers of Kronos, only Koios had survived the final encounter with Jackson and Chase in Tartarus. His brothers, Hyperion, Krios, and the traitor Iapetus, had all been consumed.

Koios, however, had pledged his services to the primordial, and had been spared. He was now the leader of the strike force Tartarus planned to capture the two demigods.

"Do not fail me, son of Gaea." Tartarus called, as he waded through the sea of monsters to tower over the Titan. "Else you share your brothers' fate."

"Understood." Koios once again bowed his head and turned to face the breach. He marched through, and Tartarus felt the mild rumble pass through the ground as once again, the natural order of life and death was violated, and the rift widened just a little.

He laughed once again. Soon, after his armies passed through, Tartarus would walk the earth for the first time, and he would rule unchallenged for the rest of time.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

"Sir!" Director Fury turned from his monitor, where he was watching the video of Jackson's panic attack. It could hold some clues for him.

An agent was calling him from across the room. He was still in Avengers' Tower, not wanting to leave until he had answers. He strode quickly over to the man's desk and looked at his screen. His eye widened. "What am I looking at?"

"It's J-Jackson's DNA scan sir." The agent stuttered slightly, obviously nervous. "Dr. Banner sent it over after his shoulder was treated." The man shook his head clearly mystified. "We've run it multiple times, but…" 

"Just spit it out!" Fury shouted, drawing eyes from across the room.

"He only has half a DNA structure, half the chromosomes. He shouldn't even exist."

 **A/N: BUM BUM BUUUUUUUM! Who else thinks that Percy and Steve would bond really well? It just feels right to me.**

 **Anyways thanks to everyone for reviewing! I always appreciate it. Also, OVER 5800 VIEWS! 40 reviews, 89 favorites and 150 followers! You guys are awesome! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. Seriously though if we hit 8000 views by next week, I'm going to die of happiness!**

 **Please keep reviewing! It makes me more eager to write!**

 **LOVE YOU ALL!**

 **stiltrosko OUT!**


	7. Chapter 7: Persassy Strikes Back

**Okay…. you guys are now speaking to my corpse. I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU GUYS TO ACTUALLY HIT 8000! There are now 8847 views! I'm so happy right now! We're at nearly 200 followers and 115 favorites! And thanks to everyone who reviewed, it always warms my heart that someone took the time to send me their thoughts. Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but once again I'm blaming stupid college and midterms. From now on I'm going to try for weekly Sunday updates.**

 **As for the reviews, I understand what most of you critics feel, and I appreciate your thoughts. I'm doing my best and this is my first story, but I will try to take what you're saying into account.** Jason5667 **not going to lie I kind of enjoyed your nerd rant and agree with a lot of the stuff you were saying. I hope you keep reading though.**

adunderhead **I'm not planning on using scars that much, unless you're talking about the mental ones.**

Kacher **I'm sorry if I disappointed you, I'm just doing what I think is good.**

HaywireEagle **I understand that you are entitled to that opinion and I get what you are saying. I don't have all the answers now, but I'll try to address them as the story progresses.**

mayito 300 **thanks for your review I'm glad you're enjoying it and you'll have to wait and see.**

iamonlyareader **Thanks for the support and I'm glad you agree.**

surya25addanki **I'll try not to overdo it. You make a good point and I'll make sure we get that "Percy freaking Jackson" in here.**

Dustiniz117 **Your comment was probably my favorite and I will do my best to incorporate it into the story. No promises though!**

 **And to the Guests (especially the one that I know** **) thanks for your feedback! I hope you enjoy! Also, please forgive me if Percy's sass doesn't work out! I've never tried before!**

 **Chapter 7: Persassy Strikes Back**

Percy's head gave a painful throb and he winced. That was one of the worst panic attacks he'd ever had. Usually it was just a couple flashes that he could brush off in a few seconds. Not having Annabeth around was affecting him more than he cared to admit.

A sneaking suspicion in his gut told him he was wrong. That there was something more to this. He dismissed it and focused on the blonde man in front of him. He had more pressing matters on his mind right now.

"So, who are you?" he asked.

The man hesitated for a second, then said "Steve Rogers, or Captain America. I'm a part of the Avengers and SHIELD." He gestured around him, and Percy took a few moments to study all of the people surrounding my little box. He recognized the redhead Romanoff from our previous encounters, and Barton, who he'd knocked from a plane due to the bow he held. There was also a sharply dressed man with a goatee and mustache that Percy recognized vaguely from brief glances of TV screens as I strolled around New York and a man with curly-brown hair holding a tablet. Oh, and a dozen army guys decked out in black combo gear with guns pointed at him. No biggie.

Percy looked back at Steve. "Something tells me you guys don't trust me." A small grin to form on his face.

Steve chuckled. "What gave it away?"

Percy leaned his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. "Just a hunch."

Steve sat down a few feet in front of me, his back to the exit and his team, and an awkward silence started to stretch out.

Percy cleared his throat. "So… you guys are the Avengers?" He gestured to the army guys.

Steve glanced around before he replied. "Not the agents, they're SHIELD, but yeah, we are."

"And you're super heroes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically

Steve grinned. "I guess so."

He studied the five of them. "I don't see it."

A burst of laughter from outside shocked them both. They turned and saw Mr. Goatee struggling to hide his laughter… and failing. "I could say the same to you kid" he called in. "You don't exactly scream 'terrorist' to me." He returned to holding in his laughter. Percy clearly saw Romanoff's eyes roll in annoyance, an expression he often saw on Annabeth's face and he grinned at the comparison.

Steve turned back to Percy, chuckling. "I've got to agree with Stark, Percy." Their eyes met, and Percy could see the amusement. "You're lacking that evil look in your eye."

Suddenly, the door into the room slid open. "'Evil look' or not Rogers, the fact remains that the evidence disagrees." Percy turned his head and saw Mr. Eyepatch/Director Fury walk in. _Here we go_ , he thought as he groaned internally. "Might I request that you remove yourself from the cell, Captain?"

Steve shrugged and got to his feet, glancing once more at Percy before walking to the exit. He saw Mr. Goatee/Stark walk to the control panel and press it a few times before the door hissed open.

Percy could see everyone tense, as if waiting for him to try and escape and flinched experimentally. Everyone jumped, and the agents' guns snapped back to him. He laughed. "Just checking guys," then relaxed again against the cool glass.

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Tony was barely holding in his laughter as he watched the agents relax slightly. He could see the smug satisfaction on Percy's face and the well-concealed frustration on Fury's. This kid was something else! Even Tony had jumped when the teen had moved. He'd nearly slammed the doors shut on Steve, and he doubted the good Capsicle would've appreciated that.

Despite what this kid was accused of, Tony couldn't help but feel a bit of fondness for him. It was hard to connect this kid with the fierce warrior who'd dodged his repulsors with seeming ease and went toe-to-toe with Cap. His eyes were sparkling with mischief, and Tony couldn't help but be reminded of the ocean right before it playfully hit you with a surprise wave.

Suddenly, he realized that Fury was talking. "…funny Mr. Jackson. I'm glad you can still keep yourself amused." He turned to the rest of us. "Avengers, you are excused, and half of you agents leave us." Tony shrugged and started walking away from the controls.

"Yo Goatee! Stark!" He turned in surprise and stared at the young grinning Percy. Did he just call him Goatee? "Aren't you going to lock me back in?"

Tony started and realized he'd forgotten to close the doors to the cell. The kid could have just walked out. He cursed and walked back to close them. All of the cells in Avengers Tower could only be opened manually, per SHIELD's request, to prevent a breakout if anyone ever hacked into JARVIS.

Fury's face was now clearly showing his frustration, while Steve and Clint were concealing laughs as they walked out. Bruce and Natasha were grinning. Tony was respecting Percy more and more. Despite being in a questionable situation, he continued pressing the buttons of his captors in anyway he possibly could, and it was obviously working.

As Tony once again turned to leave, everyone else was already gone, he heard Fury start. "Now Mr. Jackson, I have a few questions for you, starting with your father…" The doors shut behind him and Tony immediately broke into a run, heading towards the elevator.

When he finally reached to Avenger's floors, he went straight to the living room, where he could see the rest of the team gathered around the live feed being projected on the wall, showing Fury and Percy. Outside the sun was setting, and street lights were starting to turn on. Clint was popping popcorn in the kitchen, and Steve wordlessly moved over on the couch to make room for him, eyes still glued to the feed.

As Tony sat down, Bruce leaned over and whispered quickly, catching him up on all the action. "Fury's asking him about his dad because of the anomaly in his DNA. Only the half made up of his mother's genes are present, the rest are either absent or we can't sense them." Bruce shook his head in confusion. "I looked at the results on my way up, and I can't understand it."

Tony tore his eyes away and stared at Bruce. "Huh, weird. Anything else interesting?"

Bruce shook his head. "Percy's only given some sassy answers so far, nothing interesting." They both turned back to focus on the video, only glancing away briefly when Clint started handing out popcorn before sitting on a chair next to Natasha.

Fury was questioning Percy. "So, you don't know where your father is?"

Percy was looking around casually. "My mom told me he was lost at sea while she was still pregnant with me."

Fury narrowed his eyes. "That's not an answer."

Percy grinned. "Sure it is, it just isn't the one you want." He met Fury's eyes, voice dripping with false sympathy. "Too bad it's the only one you're gonna get."

The entire team was giggling, at both the boy's spunk and bravery. He was talking to one of the most powerful military figures in the world like he was a five-year-old, and the Avengers were eating it up.

They could see Fury take several deep breaths. "Moving on. Where do you go every summer, Mr. Jackson? You disappear for months at a time, appearing once or twice across the country, and last year, the world, before reappearing and attending school before blowing something up." If looks could kill, Percy would be six feet under. "Care to share?"

Percy looked around, eyes comically wide. "Think you can keep a secret?" he stage-whispered. Fury rolled his eyes. "Μαγικό στρατόπεδο όπου εκπαιδεύω για να πολεμήσω," he said rapidly

Everyone's eyes widened, and they looked at the screen in shock. Tony's mouth was open, and all of the Avengers turned to Natasha, who knew more languages than anyone. She shook her head in confusion. "I…I don't know. It sort of sounded like Greek, but all I got out of it was monsters. Or at least, I think it was monsters. It could have also been hot chocolate, the jury's still out."

"Jarvis?" Tony asked.

"I am also at a loss, sir." Everyone's shock doubled. "As Mr. Romanoff suggested, it does seem to be a language similar to Greek, but it is a very old version that is still unknown to us. I do, however, agree to her translation of ' _τέρατα_ '."

"Hot chocolate?" Steve asked, confusion covering his face.

"Monsters, Captain, monsters."

The Avengers shook of their confusion and once again faced the screen, where, based on the look on his face, Fury had just been told that his agents couldn't translate Percy's sentence.

"What kind of game are you playing Mr. Jackson?" Fury asked, his anger beginning to show on his face.

Percy shrugged. "One that you are obviously bad at." He clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. "And you call yourselves spies."

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Koios stood at the top of Mt. Othrys, staring at the rubble of the once great Titan stronghold. His icy white hair and beard reflected the moonlight, while the diamond set in the chest of his Stygian Iron breastplate seemed to suck it in, as he envisioned what his brothers' palace must have looked like. During the Second Titan War, he had remained in Tartarus, waiting for his brothers to fail and return to the Pit. As the Titan of Foresight **(look it up on Riordan Wiki if you doubt me)** he had known that they would fail, as his sight had not been clouded by revenge as Prometheus' was. He'd chosen to remain behind, and his younger brother, Kronos, had ignored his warnings and pursued his dream anyways, leading the rest of his brothers to their defeat.

However, his sight was now clouded, and the future was frustratingly fuzzy. His grandson had failed to keep the oracles safe **(see Trials of Apollo)** , and it was affecting him, though he still retained some of his sight. He was, after all, older than all of them. So, thought he knew that this is where he needed to be, and where he needed to bring the demigods, he wasn't sure how, or why.

He turned and walked away from the ruins, seeing his nephew struggling under the weight of the sky. He focused on his small force. A dozen cyclopes, a large pack of hellhounds, thirty dracaena and other single monsters had been able to squeeze through with him, but barely. More would come, but he needed to have the demigods by then. It wasn't much, but if he could get them alone, it would suffice. He already knew their approximate locations, the daughter of Athena ( _That imposter,_ he snorted. _She has no idea the meaning of true knowledge._ ) was at the Greek camp, while the son of Poseidon was somewhere within the mortal city nearby, near Olympus. This was his best chance to get them. He could sense the girl's restlessness, she was about to do something foolish, and he would be waiting for her. He sent his hellhounds into the night, each carrying another monster, and as they disappeared into the shadows, he smiled.

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Annabeth quickly stuffed clothes into her bag, moving quietly to avoid disturbing her sleeping siblings in the cabin. She knew that if they saw her leaving, they would try to stop her. But she had to go. She didn't care what the prophecy said.

She was going to find Percy.

Chiron had specifically forbidden it, but she didn't care. She didn't care that she was going alone. Grover was out doing Lord of the Wild stuff, Frank and Hazel were at Camp Jupiter, Piper and Jason were doing who-knows-what in California, Leo was in Indianapolis with Calypso, and Nico… well Nico was busy with Will.

She was on her own for this one, and she was fine with that. She threw a couple of pieces of ambrosia into her back, belted on her sword, pulled on a light jacket, and quickly slipped outside.

She crept through the cabins towards Half-Blood Hill, avoiding the patrol harpies easily. Sneaking around camp at night had become second nature to her thanks to Percy, so she reached the edge of camp easily. She hadn't even used her invisibility cap. She was about to step outside the boundary when…

"Gee Travis isn't it a nice night for sneaking out?"

Annabeth spun, and her hand flew to the hilt of her sword. It was half-drawn before she finally saw Travis and Connor standing behind her. The two sons of Hermes had been able to get within five feet of her without her noticing.

She glared at them and was rewarded with two small flinches. "What in Hades are you two doing here?"

Travis raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on Annabeth. You're a good liar but not that good. We heard the prophecy too, remember?"

Connor cut in. "We knew there was no way you were going to let Percy face that on his own. Especially once Chiron told you not to."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So, are you going to turn me in or are you coming with me?"

The boys replied in unison. "Coming with you." Annabeth noticed that they both already had bags thrown over their shoulders and both were armed.

Annabeth sighed. "Fine. Just don't slow me down."

Travis grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it 'Beth." Connor winked, and Annabeth rolled her eyes. She crossed the boundary line and started walking towards the road, not having to look back to know the boys were following her.

"When did you two get good at sneaking around?" Annabeth asked after a few minutes of walking. "Last I checked you two were about as sneaky as Percy."

The boys grinned at each other. "We've been practicing every since the Titan War," Connor answered.

"Figured it was a useful skill," Travis added.

The conversation moved on to small talk, Annabeth asking Travis about college, as she'd been hanging out with Percy for most of the summer and they hadn't been able to catch up for a while, when suddenly, a howl shattered the night air. The three demigods froze, immediately drawing their swords and taking up fighting positions. Around them, the trees was eerily still, and the silence was deafening. Each of them were scanning the shadows quickly, searching for the threat.

Suddenly, a shadow to their right rippled, and a hellhound bounded out of it, knocking Annabeth to the street and giving her a nasty case of road rash before it was turned to dust by Connor. Travis rushed to her side, helping her up, while Connor kept looking around. As soon as Annabeth was up, they all went back-to-back, holding their swords protectively. Then, at least thirty monsters stepped out of the trees, and Annabeth's heart sank. _There are too many of them_ , she thought as she desperately tried to think of a plan. Before the demigods could even think of retreating, the monsters had completely surrounded them.

Half of the monsters were hellhounds, a few cyclopes, some dracaena, and even a few telekhines. Annabeth and the Stolls were readying themselves to fight when the boys cried out in pain and dropped to the ground. Annabeth knelt beside them, and gasped when she saw the spikes sticking out of their shoulders.

Harsh laughter started echoing from the trees behind her. She turned and saw a new figure walk towards her.

"Hello Ms. Chase" the figure said he slowly stalked towards her. "Long time no see."

 **Cliffhanger! Who do you guys think it is? I hope I left enough hints, but not enough to make it easy. Whoever gets it first gets the next chapter dedicated to them! Hope you guys like the chapter and don't forget to review and let me know how I did with Persassy! I think I did alright and I'll try to get more next chapter.**

 **See you all next time! If we get to 13,000 views by next week, I'll give you guys a double update!**

 **Bye!**

 **stiltsrosko**


	8. Chapter 8: Messed With the Wrong Demigod

**A/N: Wow… Guess I didn't make it cryptic enough. Kudos goes to (Drum roll please…):** _AltoValGal, Keranovi, and Dustiniz117_ **. This chapter is for you guys! Also, we are now at 230 FOLLOWERS and 132 FAVORITES! Also 11,573 VIEWS! You guys didn't quite hit the 13,000 mark, but I'll try to make this chapter extra long cause you also gave me a bunch of nice reviews.**

 **This week's challenge: 100 Reviews! We're at 67 right now, but if we hit 100, you'll get that double update. Let me know how you guys feel about this chapter! And I wouldn't mind an overall ranking for this story.**

 **Response to Reviews:**

WeylandCorp4: **Language! (** from Cap😉) **Here's more. I'm kind of leaning on the Trials of Apollo series right here, the power of prophecy has kind of been wacky since the House of Hades. Apollo is currently trying to restore the oracles, but because Koios is older than them, he still has some foresight, like knowing that things need to happen on Othrys. And I'm actually looking forward to doing the whole "Greek gods are real" thing with the Avengers. It's going to be entertaining.**

Keranovi: **Your reviews always make me happy and I'm glad that you enjoyed Persassy. And nice guess!**

Dustiniz117: **Thank you for your approval! It makes me happy to know that people are enjoying my work**

mayito 300: **No promises, but I know how us fanboys/girls feel about our babies, so I'll try to be nice.**

13mur: **I seriously appreciate that, thank you!**

stiltsrosko1fan: **\- - - O.O *** jaw drops *** I'm very flattered and thank you so much for the compliments. I'm not going to lie, if my current major doesn't work out I might consider it. I never realized how fulfilling writing could be.**

surya25addanki: **Thanks, I worked hard on it.**

AltoValGal: **Yes, he is back and he's going to make a certain son of Poseidon very mad *** makes evil laugh in the background ***.**

armannp: **I actually went back to check that I spelled it right, but I'm glad I gave you a laugh and that you think it's a good story.**

 **Chapter 8: You Messed With the Wrong Demigod**

Annabeth's heart skipped a beat. At her feet were the Stoll brothers, obviously in pain from spines sticking out of their shoulders, and in front of her…

She took a deep breath, trying to control her anger.

…Thorn.

The manticore was grinning as he slowly stalked towards her, entering the circle of monsters and stopping a few feet in front of her.

He was still wearing the military uniform that he'd worn when she'd first met him at Westover Hall **(I'm not 100% sure that's where they found Bianca and Nico so forgive me if I'm wrong)**. He'd been the one who'd kidnapped her and taken her to Luke. She hadn't seen him after that, but Percy told her that, after Thorn had cornered them in San Francisco, _Mr. D_ of all people had come to their rescue! It had taken a bit of convincing and several eye-witness accounts before she believed him.

And now here the manticore stood, grinning triumphantly. The Stolls were writhing on the ground, and she remembered Percy's pain from a single scratch with the spines. The poison that coated them would be causing them extreme pain, but at least they weren't in immediate danger of dying. She glared at Thorn, raising her sword over her friends protectively. She managed to cut another spike out of the air.

Thorn laughed. "Ah, daughter of Athena, did you miss me?"

Annabeth snorted. "Kind of difficult to miss a monster that left you to be trapped under the weight of the sky." She shuddered slightly as she remembered seeing Luke struggling with the weight. It had been one of the last times she'd seen him before he'd become the host of Kronos. As for the weight of the sky, it had been one of the most difficult and painful things that she had ever done.

Thorn adopted a look of hurt. "Ms. Chase, you offend me! You of all people must appreciate the importance of following orders when your leader has a plan. I assure you it was nothing personal." He looked down at the Stolls and his lip curled in distaste. "Two of the eldest sons the puny messenger god. Pathetic."

Annabeth glanced quickly around her and at the two boys at her feet. She had to find a way to stall. So, she went with her usual plan, talk. "Why are you here Thorn? I could recommend some great beaches if you're interested." Gods, she was spending too much time with Percy.

The monsters around her laughed and the circle around her got smaller as the monsters crept closer. She raised her sword threateningly, and some of the monsters hissed in distaste, watching it warily as it seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"Drakon-bone." Thorn uttered in disgust. "What in Tartarus could have possibly possessed that weak traitor Damasen to give it to you, a weak, powerless, little girl." Annabeth's fists clenched at the insult to her friend, but before she could launch herself at Thorn's face, laughter erupted from behind her.

Somehow, Travis found the strength to laugh. Everyone, including Annabeth, looked at him in surprise. Connor seemed to be the only one who understood his brother's amusement. Travis winked at Annabeth.

A dracaena hissed. "What'sss ssso funny, demigod?"

"You… *gasp* …just called _Annabeth_ weak?" He was interrupted by a coughing fit.

"You've done it now." Connor finished.

Thorn scowled at the two half-bloods, and turned back to Annabeth, only to see her yank on her Yankees cap and disappear. "No!" He cried, and then he turned to his hellhounds. "Find her! Sniff her out!"

The dogs immediately put their noses to the ground and started sniffing, but before they could get far, a Cyclopes near Thorn burst into dust, followed quickly by several telekhines.

Growling in frustration as monsters continued to die around him, Thorn quickly sprang at the two sons of Hermes, who were just struggling to their feet and barely fending off a few dracaena. Their shirts were dotted with blood stains, but they were both holding their own for now. The rest of the monsters were swinging their swords around wildly, trying to hit their invisible attacker.

Thorn growled as he approached the boys and pounced suddenly, grabbling them both and positioning his tail so the spines rested against their throats. "Chase!" he boomed.

Annabeth froze when she heard Thorn shout. She had just finished dispatching a Cyclopes, but she turned and saw both Travis and Connor helpless in the manticore's paws. She cursed mentally, trying to think of a plan.

Thorn grinned, he knew the daughter of Athena would not risk her friends. Personal loyalty may not be her fatal flaw, but he knew she would do anything in her power to save them. "Surrender now, Chase, or both of these demigods die here, now."

"Don't Annabeth!" Travis shouted.

"Run! We'll be fine." Connor joined in.

"Quiet!" Thorn growled, and drew his tail closer to the boys' throats, drawing a few beads of blood, and drawing a gasp of pain from both boys. Annabeth's stomach clenched. She couldn't let them die! "The choice is yours, Chase. Come with me, or the sons of Hermes die."

Annabeth couldn't move, she couldn't choose. Those next few seconds seemed to last for eternity, but she was so distracted that she held still for too long.

She yelped as a wall of darkness rammed into her, and she was slammed into the ground, the breath rushing out of her lungs. Her sword jarred out of her hand, and her Yankees cap was knocked off her head.

When she was finally able to see straight, she could see the growling hellhound that had her pinned to the ground. It had taken advantage of her distraction and finally managed to take her by surprise.

She gritted her teeth as she was wrestled to her feet by several Cyclopes. She glared at Thorn, hatred seething inside of her.

"Ok, Thorn." She spat at him. "You have me, now let them go."

"Oh, I don't think so, my dear." Thorn's grin grew even wider. "You see, the deal was you come willingly, and I think you need a lesson." 

Annabeth's eyes widened as the manticore brandished his tail, and she could see the shock, fear, and acceptance on her friends' faces. She was pleading with the manticore, begging him to let them go, threatening him. But nothing changed. Thorn whipped his tail across, and both sons of Hermes fell to the ground together.

Annabeth screamed.

 **A/N: I'm sorry if you hate me.**

"YOU MONSTER!" She cried, tears pouring down her face as she stared at the Stolls' bodies. She could see the cuts on their throats and she knew that they were gone.

Thorn grinned evilly. "I've always been a monster." He signaled to one of the Cyclopes holding her. "Knock her out."

Annabeth couldn't even process what he said. All she could do was stare at the bodies, but at the same time, she was seven years old, watching Thalia sacrifice herself, or sixteen, watching Silena, Luke, and all the other demigods dying from both wars. No matter how many times she saw it, the death of friends never got any easier.

Then she felt a hard impact on the back of her head and she fell gratefully into the darkness.

 **TATATATATATATATATATA**

Percy was bored.

Ever since Director "Eyepatch" Fury had left, he'd been left alone. He hadn't even gotten one of those prison balls you see in movies to bounce around the cell. He was leaned against the side of the cell, facing the doors Fury had stormed out of several hours ago, along with his only source of entertainment.

Making him mad had been some of the most fun Percy had had in a while, and if he was keeping his promise to his dad at the same time, all the better. Percy knew that there were few people that he couldn't annoy, and it was nice to see that that was still true.

A few minutes after he'd started humming randomly, the doors to the room slid open, and in walked Steve with his USA shield and Goatee Stark with one arm covered in red-and-gold armor, which he was fiddling with using a screwdriver. Percy was reminded painfully of Leo.

Percy raised his eyebrow. "Does Eyepatch know you two are in here?"

Stark snorted. "Not exactly."

"Fury still isn't happy about earlier. You were totally messing with him for an hour, and he doesn't like that usually." Steve said. "Tony and I figured we'd come down and talk to you, well I came to talk to you…"

Tony, I guess, interrupted. "I came to congratulate you on completely pissing Fury off. It takes a special person to get away with that. You gave us some quality entertainment upstairs."

Percy smirked. "I'm told it's a gift."

Tony laughed out loud. He turned to Steve. "Man, I like this kid. Remind me why he's in a cell."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Apparently, I'm a terrorist, danger to the United States and society, etc."

Steve raised his eyebrows at me. "You'll have to forgive us if we find it hard to believe someone with your training and skills is completely faultless." The tone in the room turned serious

Percy winced. "I'm not faultless, that's for sure. I've made mistakes, but I wish you guys would trust me if I told you I was on your side."

"Hey, kid, if it makes you feel any better, I kind of believe you, but probably only because I never got hit by you," Tony shrugged. "But Fury is kind of dead set on terrorist."

Tony pulled up a chair and sat down facing me, an eager on his face, setting aside his screwdriver. "So… blew up your school bus?

Percy chuckled. "How was I supposed to know the cannon was real?"

Steve cut in. "Dropped your class into a fish tank?"

"They should really label those levers.

They all cracked up laughing. Regardless of the fact Percy was in a glass cell and Tony and Steve were the ones who put him in there, they were still laughing their heads off.

 **TATATATATATATATATATA**

Koios sat waiting for Thorn at the top of Mt. Othrys, staring at the pool of shadows in front of him. He'd set his remaining monster restoring some of the previous stronghold, enough to be habitable.

After a few minutes, as the sun was just starting to rise, the shadows in front of him started to ripple, and hellhounds started jumping out, each carrying several other monsters. The corners of Koios mouth turned up slightly when he saw the unconscious daughter of Athena, tied onto the back of a hellhound, but almost immediately his eyes narrowed. He'd lost more than he'd calculated, and that was unacceptable.

"Thorn!" He saw the manticore flinch and immediately rush over, signaling to two Cyclopes to bring the demigod. He approached Koios and immediately fell to one knee. "My lord Koios, we captured the demigod."

"I can see that" Koios responded coolly. "I can also see that you lost nearly a third of your force." Thorn flinched under Koios' gaze.

"I'm s-sorry sir, but there were two other demigods as well. Two sons of Hermes that I had to… dispose of."

Koios scowled. He'd seen only the girl leaving the camp's boundaries, and because of his lack of foresight, his numbers had been weakened. He dismissed Thorn and approached the half-blood. She was still unconscious, but he could tell from her occasional flinch that she was in the throes of a nightmare. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard her moan. He leaned in and managed to hear her mutter, "Percy...". Koios smiled. He waved his hand at the two carrying her. "Take her to the cells."

As the Cyclopes dragged her away, he turned to the rest of the monsters around him. His smile was colder than the arctic wind. "Now for the son of Poseidon." He looked around until he saw a dracaena with a strange sword. He beckoned her forward. "Where did you get that?" He demanded.

The monster slithered up to him and presented the blade. "It wasss taken from the half-blood girl, ssssir." Koios grabbed the hilt of the sword and examined it. "It'sss made of drakon-bone, my lord, given by the sssson of Gaia, the traitor Damassssen."

"Ahh, yes, I see." Koios smiled coldly, a plan forming in his mind. "Thorn!" The manticore scrambled up. "You have history with Jackson, correct?" He already knew the answer, but he wanted to remind the manticore of it.

Thorn snarled. "Yes, sir."

"Good, I need you to find him." Koios handed him the sword. "And leave him this, as a gift, and a reminder." Thorn smiled wolfishly, understanding where this was going. "Make him come here. He came for her once, he will come again."

 **TATATATATATATATATATA**

Steve was still laughing with Percy and Tony. Tony had just finished telling them one of his failed Iron Man suit stories and they were all roaring with laughter.

Tony was having the time of his life with the kid, and they were all enjoying themselves. But Steve just couldn't help thinking that Fury was wrong about the teen. The kid was joking around with his captors for crying out loud! He didn't exactly fit the mold of blood-thirsty villain.

After the laughter died out, they fell into a comfortable silence. Steve felt like they'd made good progress towards gaining Percy's trust, but he'd still been able to avoid giving up any information about himself after middle school. If Steve were to bet, that's when the real stuff started happening in Percy's life. But if it wasn't terrorism, what was it?

Suddenly, a cool voice echoed out of the shadows. "Ahhh, Mr. Jackson, someone finally put you where you belong."

Percy jumped to his feet, immediately in a fighting stance, and his hand flew towards his pants, before hesitating.

Steve was up a few moments later, bringing his shield into a ready position. Tony simply hit a few buttons on the control panel in front of him, no doubt sending an alarm, before leveling his armor at the source of the voice

"Come out into the light!" Steve called in his best general voice. A man stepped out into the light, with his hands held up in surrender, but with an evil smirk on his face. Steve kept his shield at ready, knowing something wasn't right. He was wearing a formal military uniform, his rank implied he was a general, or something equally high, except for the cruel gaze he had leveled at Percy. But he smiled at Steve. "Peace, Captain." He turned back to Percy, who was still as tight as a bowstring, ready to fight at a moment's notice. "I merely have a message for Perseus, from one of his great-uncles."

Steve could see Percy's eyes narrow in anger and recognition. "Thorn," he growled. "What are you talking about?" Tony's eyes grew wide and he turned to the man. "Thorn is it? How do you know Percy? I don't remember seeing anyone named Thorn in his file."

Thorn grinned and turned to Tony. "I'm sorry, but this is family business, so if you would kindly remove yourself, _mortal_ , I'm trying to have a conversation." He turned away, completely ignoring the two of us and focusing on Percy.

"Your Uncle Koios sends his regards, and a few presents." Thorn drew a sword out of nowhere, causing Steve and Tony's mouths to drop. It was stark-white with a long blade. Steve turned to Percy and was shocked by the fear and anger shown clearly on his face. The teen rushed to the part of his cell closest to Thorn and slammed his fists against wall

"Where did you get that?" Percy screamed.

"I figured that would get a good reaction out of you." Thorn smirked, and he tossed the sword in front of the teen, who sank to his knees. He studied the sword frantically before looking back up at Thorn with a murderous expression on his face. Steve actually flinched when he saw it. _This_ was the same teen Tony and he had been joking around with just a few minutes before? "I swear Thorn, if you've hurt her, you will beg for Tartarus when I'm through with you."

Thorn simply laughed. "See, Jackson, that would be threatening if you weren't trapped in a glass cage right now." He pulled several photographs out of his pockets and threw them in front of Percy as well.

The boy's face went white. "No, no, no, no…" He muttered, stumbling back. Tony walked forward cautiously and grabbed one of the photos. He gasped and passed it to Steve. Steve's heart missed a beat. Two boys, around the same age as Percy, probably brothers, were both lying on the ground. Blood covered their shirts, and their throats were cut.

Both were unmistakably dead.

When he looked back up, Percy's face was contorted beyond all recognition. The rage and pain on his face was palpable. Suddenly, the entire building started to shake. "Jarvis!" Tony called. "What's happening?"

"We seem to be in the middle of a 6.8 earthquake sir." Jarvis' cool voice replied. "Foundations are holding firm, but this building to withstand earthquakes of this magnitude for very long." 

Thorn was laughing. "Good Perseus, good! Your powers have certainly grown since the last time we met. You might have been able to actually kill me this time instead of relying on someone else to do your dirty work." The shaking in the building increased. Steve couldn't understand, was Percy… causing this? But he was only manipulating water before.

"7.5, sir!" Jarvis' voice was starting to sound worried.

"But keep in mind Jackson. You kill me, and you'll never find your precious daughter of Athena, that Annabeth." The shaking in the ground slowed to a slight tremble.

Percy's voice was barely above a growl. "Where. Is. She?"

"It's kind of ironic, isn't it?" Thorn's laugh echoed through the room as he backed towards the shadows. "Same place as last time. And there's someone else who wants to meet you. He isn't too happy about his brothers' deaths, so you should probably hurry." Then, as he backed into the shadows, Tony fired his repulsor, and the space was lit up, but nothing was there. He'd just disappeared.

Then, a scream pierced the air, and Steve spun around to see Percy was on his knees, clutching his stomach, screaming. His scream was filled with pain and loss, and Steve shuddered to think what might have caused it.

"I think that's enough." Steve turned and saw Fury standing next to the control panel. He hit a button, and Percy was electrocuted, flowing from the band on his wrist. He screamed one more time and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Percy!" Tony and Steve both yelled in unison.


	9. Chapter 9: Percy Drops the Mic

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my roommates for helping me finish the chapter. Couldn't have done it without them!**

 **I'm sorry if you guys hate me for killing off the Stolls, but I hope this chapter makes you guys feel a little bit better. I really enjoyed writing it! Responses are at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 9: Percy Drops the Mic**

Steve rounded on Fury, with barely masked anger showing on his face. "Why?" Before Fury was able to answer, the shaking in the ground finally stilled.

"Captain Rogers, I don't need to justify myself to you now, do I?" Fury asked in a condescending tone.

"Humor us." Tony replied. "As soon as I'm done checking to make sure the building doesn't fall down on us, you're going to explain why you just knocked the kid out and what the h*** just happened with that Thorn guy." Tony turned back to the control panel while Steve focused on Percy. He was completely still, but Steve could see his eyelids flickering rapidly. Steve didn't know that someone could enter a dream that fast, but he was also a super soldier that had dealt with Norse gods before, so it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd ever seen.

Looking closely, Percy looked no worse for wear after the shocking, and the boy seemed for the moment, so he turned back to Tony.

"Alright, I've got good news and bad news," Tony began. "The good new is, we're not about to be crushed under tons and tons of rock. Bad news is that the majority of power across the city is out. We're only good because we're powered by an arc reactor. That earthquake was one of the strongest we've seen in centuries. There's never been one recorded over 6.0. It came out of nowhere."

"I don't think it came out of nowhere, Mr. Stark." Fury said dryly, turning to stare at Percy. "I believe that Mr. Jackson here a bit more powerful than we thought."

"Sir, you can't possibly believe…" Steve began but Fury cut him off.

"I saw that whole exchange Rogers. 'Thorn', as Mr. Jackson called him, did manage to give us some answers." Fury turned and walked to the glass so that he was only a few feet away from Percy and stared down at him. "You both heard him. He clearly implied that Percy here was the source of that earthquake. The more upset he got, the worse the earthquake got. When Thorn mentioned Annabeth, it slowed." Fury glanced up at Rogers. "I assume you agree he was referencing Annabeth Chase. This sword must belong to her, and those two boys must mean something to him as well. We'll run some facial recognition to see if we can find some names."

With that, Fury grabbed the sword off the ground and snatched the photos off the desk where Tony was still furiously typing. But before he walked out, he turned back. "Alert me when he wakes up. We're going to have some more questions for him."

The doors slid shut behind the director, and Steve sunk into his chair with a groan. _Why did everything have to be so complicated?_ He wondered.

"Cap come look at this." Steve's head snapped up at the deadly serious tone of Tony's voice. Tony was never serious. This was bad. He quickly walked over to Tony and glanced at the screen he was showing him. At least a dozen different snatches of video feed were playing in front of him. "What's the problem?"

Tony sighed. "The problem is that I can't find that Thorn guy anywhere, either before or after he was here." He gestured back at the clips. "I've had Jarvis scan everything from the past twelve hours, but the only time he was on camera was when he was talking to us. After that he just went _poof!_ and vanished.

Steve's eyes narrowed. "But that would have to mean…

Tony nodded. "Either he's still in here, which he isn't, or he somehow managed to teleport."

Steve groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Well after the Tesseract I'm really not that surprised."

Tony grinned slightly. "Touché, Capsicle." He turned and started heading for the door. "Come on, we'd better report to the team and show them the footage. They're all still upstairs, trying to keep Bruce calm."

Steve felt a spike of fear hit him. If the Hulk appeared right now, while the rest of the city was in shambles… well they'd probably have to restart building New York right after they had managed to fix most of it.

They both walked out of the room, while both shot one more concerned glance at Percy.

 **SBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBS**

Percy was once again surrounded by the fog. "Percy," his father's voice echoed, and this time, the fog was whisked away. He looked around, surprised to find himself in the throne room on Olympus. He looked up and saw his father, Zeus, and Athena sitting in their thrones, the rest were empty.

"Perseus Jackson." Zeus' voice boomed across the room, but Percy barely acknowledged him. He leveled his gaze on his father.

"Where is she?" His voice was surprisingly calm, but anyone that knew him could see the cold fury in his eyes.

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably under his son's stare. "Your suspicions are correct, my son. Annabeth was taken to Mt. Othrys."

"I heard the prophecy, so I know Tartarus is involved, but Thorn mentioned that one of my great uncles is involved. Which one?"

Athena cleared her throat. "Based on what my daughter told me of your escape from Tartarus, I would assume it is Koios. The rest are either gone or have remained neutral. You've encountered him before, right Perseus?"

Percy nodded. Bob, Annabeth, and him had just exited the Palace of Night and were approaching the Doors of Death. While wading through the hordes of monsters, they had encountered Koios. Percy remembered the Titan's icy cold power. "The Titan of the North."

"Correct. And because he is also the Titan of Knowledge and Foresight, it is likely he is leading Tartarus' first strike."

Percy started to grow frustrated. "Fine. But what about Annabeth?"

Zeus cut in. "Her capture is… unfortunate, but we cannot interfere."

Percy's eyes narrowed into a hard glare. "So once again its up to the heroes to save the day."

The air grew charged with ozone as Zeus' temper grew. "Watch your tone boy."

"Percy," Percy turned to his father. "This will not be easy. The manticore's appearance has caused the mortals to get too close to the truth. It won't take much for them to figure it out. You must do your best to keep this quiet." The edges of the dream started to fade out at the edges.

"I'm sorry Father, but if it's the Olympians secret or Annabeth, you know what I'll choose." Percy's gaze hardened. "I won't lose her." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Athena shaking her head. _To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world,_ he remembered.

The last thing Percy saw before his vision went black were his father's eyes, so similar to his own, filled with sadness and understanding.

 **SBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBS**

Bruce looked up as Tony and Steve walked into living room. He was sitting at the computer, trying to figure out Percy's strange DNA, while Clint and Natasha were walking around replacing objects that had fallen during the earthquake. They'd only just avoided an incident with the other guy, and he was still on edge.

"So, boys, how did your talk go?" Natasha asked, looking up from where she was picking up a broken cigarette tray.

"Good, until a random guy showed up and sent Percy into an earth-shaking fit." Tony replied.

Bruce's head shot up. "Wait, PERCY did that?!" He asked incredulously.

Steve shrugged. "That's what Fury thinks. And I have to agree with him that it's a bit too coincidental."

"Wait, I'm confused." Clint spoke up. "You're telling me that the Percy, the kid we've seen do a bunch of water stuff, just caused a 7.5 earthquake?" His eyebrows shot up. "How does that make sense."

Tony pulled up the footage on the screen. "See for yourself."

Bruce left his computer to go sit on the couch. The clip started with the Percy, Steve, and Tony laughing like crazy.

"What?" Bruce turned and saw Nat giving Tony the stink-eye. "He's a funny guy!"

"Doesn't change the fact that he's a SHIELD prisoner." Bruce grinned as Tony tried to defend his and Steve's actions, but his attention was drawn back to the screen when he heard a new voice.

" _Ahhh, Mr. Jackson, someone finally put you where you belong."_ Bruce's eyes widened as the man exited the shadows.

"Jarvis couldn't find any record of him in SHIELD's records. He's definitely not military." Tony said. "He couldn't find anything on facial recognition either. If not for Percy, we wouldn't even have a name."

Bruce heard Percy hiss out _"Thorn."_ Bruce could hear the hate dripping from the teen's voice. He didn't know the young man was capable of sounding so furious.

They watched in silence, totally enraptured by the events unfolding in front of them. _Uncle Koios. The shape of the sword_. _Tartarus._ All of these small details were little pieces of a puzzle, but Bruce wasn't sure if he'd like the complete picture. _Perseus._ The name of an ancient Greek hero. _He spoke easily in Ancient Greek._ _Mysterious powers over water and earthquakes._ _ **Daughter**_ _of Athena._ It… wasn't possible… was it?

"Tony…" Bruce said hesitantly, as the team watched the conversation with Fury end.

"Yeah Bruce?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bruce asked nervously.

"If you're referring to the multiple references to Ancient Greek culture… then yes."

"That's what I was afraid of." Bruce sighed.

"I mean, it's not too farfetched, considering what we learned about Thor, Loki and Asgard." Tony pointed out.

Steve butted in. "Care to let the rest of us in on the secret geniuses?"

Bruce turned to Steve, Clint and Natasha, seeing the expectant expressions on their faces. "Think about what we know of Percy. He's named after an Ancient Greek hero, Perseus. He's fluent in Ancient Greek and he can control water and can apparently create earthquakes." Bruce glanced back at Tony. "I'm with you on that, by the way. It's too much of a coincidence that the earthquake started when Percy's emotions reached their peak."

Tony took over. "Also, what Thorn said. He was talking about an Uncle Koios, and Athena, both from Ancient Greek mythology, and Percy mentioned Tartarus, the Greek equivalent of hell."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "So, we're dealing with a terrorist organization that's uses Greek codenames?"

Bruce shrugged. "It's possible, but I think its something a bit worse."

"What's worse than terrorists?" Steve asked.

"Another New York." Tony replied solemnly. Everyone's eyes widened.

"Explain, now." Natasha snapped.

"Think about it, Nat," Bruce said. "A few years ago, you would have sworn that Thor and Loki were just myths. Now, we work with a god!"

"So you're saying that they might not be the only ones?" Steve asked.

Tony nodded. "It fits too perfectly. Thorn also called Annabeth Chase a daughter of Athena, the Ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. The Norse gods exist, why not the Greeks?" 

Steve rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and muttered, "I'd almost prefer the terrorists."

Before Bruce had a chance to respond, Jarvis spoke up. "Sir, Percy Jackson is waking up."

Immediately, there was a mad rush for the elevator, each of the Avengers eager question Percy.

 **SBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBS**

Percy stirred and groaned. This was starting to become a bad habit. He was getting worse than Jason.

He sat up and saw the Avengers gathered outside his cell. He moved over to the side of the cell and leaned his head against the glass, positioning himself so that they could only see the side of his face. His face was like stone.

"Percy?" Steve asked quietly.

"More questions?" Percy asked, his voice totally flat and emotionless.

"More like confirming our guesses." Tony shrugged. "You have my word that this will never go farther than this room. I've disengaged all the cameras and mikes. Fury will never know what happened in here."

Percy sat there silently for another few seconds. _So, they've figured at least something out._ He sighed, then turned and met Tony's eyes. He had to be sure that he was telling the truth. They stared at each other for a minute until Percy was satisfied with what he found. He then locked eyes with all of the other Avengers. He wanted to trust them, he _needed_ to trust them, or else… well Percy didn't what would happened. He nodded to himself and turned away from them. "Shoot."

He could feel the tension in the room ease as they all relaxed slightly. Bruce stepped forward. "We were listening to the exchange you had with Thorn. You were the source of that earthquake, weren't you?"

Percy winced. "Is everyone alright?" he asked, dreading the answer

"No casualties have been reported, and first responders are working on restoring power." Steve answered.

Percy groaned and rubbed his hands over his eyes. _I thought I had this under control!_ He berated himself. _I haven't lost control like this since Mt. St. Helens._

"So, you can control water and cause earthquakes." Tony said. "Any other powers we should know about?"

Percy grinned humorlessly. "Nope that about sums it up." _They don't need to know about the whole "control all liquids" thing I figured out in Tartarus… or the hurricanes…or talking to horses and fish…_

Bruce interrupted his thoughts with another question. "Have you heard of Thor? Loki?"

Percy snorted. "Yeah. So?"

"We know they're real." Percy looked up at him. "Thor is one of our teammates, he helped us save the world last year."

 _Huh._ Percy thought. _Is that what Poseidon was talking about when he talked about the Norse gods opening the eyes of mortals?_

Bruce continued. "So we're prepared to accept something that others might think are impossible."

Percy snorted internally. _That's what you think,_ he thought.

"We heard what Thorn was saying about your friend, Annabeth." Percy grimaced. "Percy… he called her a daughter of Athena."

 _Here it comes,_ Percy thought, and closed his eyes. There was a pause, and Percy heard the doors to his cell sliding open. When he opened his eyes, Steve, Bruce, and Tony were standing in front of him. Romanoff and Barton were still standing outside. _I still need to learn their first names,_ he thought idly.

Steve squatted down so their eyes were at the same level. "Percy… you know who your father is don't you?"

Percy didn't confirm or deny it. They both knew the answer.

Steve swallowed. "Do you know… what he is?"

Again, no response necessary.

"Your father was a god, wasn't he? A Greek god."

Percy hesitated. This one needed an answer. He looked around, trying to find a way to stall. Then he closed his eyes and asked hesitantly. _Dad?_

A feeling of reluctant acceptance flooded through him, and a cool sea breeze floated past him. He grinned slightly and relaxed, before meeting Steve's eyes.

Something passed between them in that moment. Maybe it was just because they'd seen so many of the same things, shared so many experiences, that they were able to understand each other. In that moment, Percy knew that he could trust this man as much as he trusted Annabeth, Nico, Jason, or any other of his friends. And he knew that he had once again found a person that he would sacrifice himself for.

In that moment, when Percy slowly nodded, a small shockwave was emitted through the Mist. When they'd fought, the tremor had torn the Mist even more. However, this wave was gentler, and instead of tearing the Mist, it parted it. Percy knew that something big, something important, had changed, and maybe even for the better.

He stood, and Steve rose with him, eyes still locked. After a moment Percy took a deep breath and faced the rest of Earth's mightiest heroes. "I am Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the god of the seas, the Earthshaker, and Lord of Horses. I have killed Titans and Giants, challenged gods, and survived Daedalus' Labyrinth and Tartarus. Former bearer of the Curse of Achilles and praetor of the Twelfth Legion of New Rome. I've led armies into battle and killed countless monsters. I am a Hero of Olympus and have turned down immortality. And now, I must once again face Tartarus to save my home, family, and the world." Outside, thunder shook the building.

A stunned silence followed. The Avengers just stared at Percy, none of them wanting to break the quiet, so for several seconds, no one said a word.

Then, Tony cleared this throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Sooooooo… not a terrorist then?"

 **A/N: Whew! That was difficult to write! No baddie action this chapter, I wanted to focus on the team for now. Also IM GOING TO SEE CAPTAIN MARVEL ON TUESDAY AND I'M SOO EXCITED!**

 **Now, on to business. We have officially hit 16,000 views! Thanks for all the support guys! I really appreciate it. And to everyone who reviewed: thank you for your feedback! I got excellent comments this week. It makes my day when I open my email to see all of the notifications. And now to the Review Responses:**

 **CreepyLolita:** Yeah I felt that we needed a little darkness, but I hope I managed to balance it out with the friendly banter with Steve and Tony.

 **Raxacoricofallapatoreous:** Sorry, I felt like it needed to happen. I hope you can forgive me.

 **Trey Alexander:** Glad I caught you off guard with the earthquake. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I agree about the Stolls, I just felt like it was necessary and, tbh, my roommates encouraged it😉. Yeah probably not on the Captain Marvel idea, but I agree.

 **Inbred martian:** I'm glad I left you speechless, and I'll do my best.

 **Chimera629:** I hope I answered all your questions this week, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 **WeylandCorp 4:** I'm sorry if you didn't like the chapter, but I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. I understand your reasoning and I get it. I hope you keep reading though and I'll try not to do the stereotypical deaths anymore.

 **Keranovi:** Sorry no "demigod justice on Thorn" just yet, you're going to have to stick around for a little longer for that. I'm glad you enjoyed the interaction, I worked hard on it. I felt like it was appropriate to bring in the earthshaker powers because he was so emotional he didn't have control and it was one of the most effective ways to demonstrate his powers without ruining the plumbing 😉.

 **Mayito 300:** Sorry *dodges knife thrown at face* I felt like it was necessary at the time.

 **Kacher:** Don't worry, I'm going to show just how crazy, freaking amazing Percy is in the next few chapters. I'm sorry that you feel that way, though, I'm trying to stay as true to the books as I can.

 **DreamCatcher06:** Oh so you finally noticed *evil cackle*? I'll keep the warning in mind and try to avoid angering you but no promises. I'll try to give Percy a satisfying ending, but let's be honest, its Percy, nothing's ever easy for him.

 **Rainbowsphinx:** I'm afraid the title of God and Goddess of writing goes to Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling, but I'm doing my best to be a faithful disciple! Also, thank you for the comment on sentence length! I did my best to watch it this chapters and I hope I did better. Let me know how I did. And I will do my best to see this story through to the end.

 **Dauntlessofthesea:** Yeah, I know, I made Fury a little more "close-minded" to use your word, but I needed someone to be a party pooper and Fury was convenient. Sorry if that rubs you the wrong way, I'll try to remedy that.

 **Guest from Long Island:** I appreciate the comments on the geography, I did my best, but I've never been farther east than Arizona, so I wouldn't really know *laughs nervously*. Thanks for the compliment, I work hard trying to keep everyone in character, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **SpaceManatees:** Thank you so much! I've worked hard on the writing to make sure that I don't make too many typos, it annoys me to no end when I find them after I've published! I'm glad you read it and enjoyed it.


	10. Chapter 10: Percy Makes his Move

**A/N: SURPRISE! It's an early update! I was just dying to write this chapter and I have a few midterms coming up, so I wanted to do this before life gets crazy.**

 **Wow! 10 chapters. Didn't think I'd make it this far. To celebrate: this is a 4100 WORD CHAPTER! Your guys' response to this story has been overwhelming and I love it! We've hit 18,000 views, 300 followers, and 180 favorites! Also 100 REVIEWS! I'm so excited! Thanks for all the support you guys! Keep it coming!**

 **Responses to Reviews:**

 **Dustiniz117** : Your ideas are pure gold and I'm now seriously considering it. The celestial bullets idea is brilliant, and the Tyson/Mrs. O'Leary question is a maybe.

 **Keranovi:** I hope Percy is awesome enough in this chapter. I did my best to make him look good.

 **IAmHelenOfTroy:** I agree wholeheartedly! I wanted to let Percy do a little bit of bragging so that the Avengers knew exactly what they were dealing with.

 **WeylandCorp4:** I'm glad you liked that chapter more! I'm leaning more to letting Percy handle this on his own for now, but the gods might get involved later on. As for the Stolls… TBD.

 **Hermionechase16 + mayito 300 + zeynel** : Stark is a treasure and I felt like this would be an appropriate reaction for someone who literally offers a drink to the god who is in the process of invading the earth.

 **Trey Alexander:** Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Agreed that Zeus sucks. I address that a little in this chapter 😉. I'm doing my best to make sure everyone has a chance to shine, demigod or not.

 **This chapter is dedicated to my sister, who points out the mistakes** **Love you, Jo!**

 **Chapter 10: Percy Makes his Move**

Annabeth came to conscious slowly. She could hear the shuffling of monsters around her and feel cold metal on her wrists. She sucked in a quick breath as she remembered what happened.

The trap.

Thorn.

The Sto… A pang of sadness hit her heart as she remembered the two brothers falling to the ground.

 _Focus Annabeth,_ she chided herself. _There'll be time to mourn later._ She let her senses explore the area around her. As she focused, she could make out an occasional word, but it was muffled. She assumed it was emanating from behind a door. She breathed in deeply, detecting the strong scent of wet fur and strong BO. She grimaced. _Hellhounds and Cyclopes most likely._ But there was also something else. One more deep breath and she had it. Eucalyptus.

 _Of course,_ she thought. _Mt. Othrys. Again._

After a few more moments to ensure that she was alone, Annabeth opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a stone room with no windows and only one door. Celestial bronze chains kept her from getting within five feet of it. All in all, standard medieval dungeon style.

She sat up and scooted over to the wall opposite the door. The only light came from a barred window on the door, and she was able to check herself for injuries. Aside from a cut on her left arm that had already scabbed and a headache that she was pointedly ignoring, she was fine.

Once she'd determined that she wasn't in any immediate danger, her mind turned to Travis and Connor. The two sons of Hermes had been the counselors of the Hermes cabin since she was twelve. They'd been there for almost long as she had. _Oh gods,_ she thought, _what am I going to tell Katie?_ The daughter of Demeter had been dating Travis for a few months now. But now, Travis was gone. Annabeth sighed. The life of a demigod.

She grinned sadly, thinking about some of the pranks the two had pulled. Putting chocolate Easter bunnies on the Demeter cabin roof, the Golden Mango (that one had nearly started another Trojan War). She was even able to forgive the spiders they'd let loose in the Athena Cabin throughout the years (Percy had had to prevent several murders). She focused on the happy memories and refused to remember the fact that they were gone.

A few minutes later, a large _clang_ echoed through her cell. Her head shot up and she watched as the door creaked open, and she was momentarily blinded as light flooded the room. Once her eyes had adjusted, she looked up to see Thorn looming over her. She leveled a glare at the manticore.

"What do you want Thorn?" She spat his name out like it was poison, wanting nothing more than to plunge a sword into his chest and send him back to Tartarus.

Thorn smirked. "My dear demigod, I only wanted to introduce you to my boss." Thorn turned, and another figure entered. The temperature in the cell dropped twenty degrees. After he'd stopped in front of her, Thorn left. Annabeth recognized the Titan.

"Koios, Titan of the North," she muttered. For the briefest moment, she saw surprise flicker in the Titan's icy-blue eyes. But then it passed, leaving her wondering if she'd imagined it.

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena," he replied. "You recognize me?"

"I do my research." She responded coolly. He didn't need to know that she'd seen him in Tartarus. "So you're Tartarus' lapdog?" She could tell that she'd struck a nerve when his eyes hardened.

"I do what I must to survive." He said. "I'm assuming you know why you're here?"

She shrugged. "I've got a few ideas. Demigod blood has power… blah, blah, blah. You want Percy, you think he'll come save me…" She was cut off by the Titan's laugh. She cringed. It sounded like an avalanche.

"Oh I don't think he'll come for you, daughter of Athena." He grinned. "I know he will. His flaw is personal loyalty, no? He'd come for you even if Tartarus stood in his way."

She dropped her head cursed mentally. Did everyone know Percy's fatal flaw at this point? She looked up and met the Titan's eyes. He smirked, knowing he was right. "And we'll be waiting when he does."

The Titan turned and left the cell, taking the cold with him. But Annabeth could still feel the chill. _Percy,_ she thought, _Please, just be careful._

 **ACACACACACACACACA**

Clint stared at Tony before facepalming. Seriously, what was wrong with that man? They'd all been staring at Percy in shock and awe, but Tony felt like it was necessary to completely ruin the moment. Clint looked around at his fellow Avengers. Bruce and Steve had resigned expressions on their faces, while Tony looked both excited and nervous at the same time. Natasha had her poker face on, but Clint knew her well enough to know that she was as nervous as he was. They'd already had to deal with one god's temper tantrum. He really hoped this wouldn't lead to another.

He shook his head before turning back to Percy. The kid was chuckling slightly at Tony's comment. He hadn't entirely understood the two geniuses when they'd been talking about the whole Greek gods situation, but now…

Percy had just admitted that he was the son of a Greek god, and then proceeded to blow their minds. At least his powers made sense now. If Clint remembered correctly, Poseidon was the god of the sea and earthquakes. Percy must have inherited those powers from him. But there was still one thing that he didn't get.

"So are you from another planet, too?" He asked. Percy's eyes snapped to his and the humor left his face, replaced by confusion.

"You think I'm an alien?" He asked.

Natasha backed Clint up. "Thor and Loki are from another planet called Asgard. We're just wondering if there's another one called Olympus that we should be monitoring for homicidal gods."

Percy looked at Natasha, surprised. "Huh, that explains why I've never run into the Norse gods before." He turned back to me, grinning slightly. "But no, I'm not from another planet. My father and his family are…" His face grew hesitant. "Actually, I don't think I can tell you. My uncle's already going to be pissed at me. He didn't want me to tell you at all."

Steve made a slight choking noise. "Your uncle? Koios?"

Percy made a face. "No, he's my great-uncle. I'm talking about Zeus, you know god of lightning and the skies, king of the gods, giant crybaby that can't exercise any self-control when he sees a pretty woman." Thunder crashed outside, and the Avengers started. Clint half expected Thor to come sauntering in. But Percy sat there looking smug. "You know I'm right!" He yelled, looking up, seemingly talking to the ceiling. He turned back to Clint. "He's a little sensitive."

Tony's mouth was hanging open. "Did you just…"

"Yep," Percy cut him off. "I'm not exactly Zeus' favorite demigod. I should probably avoid air travel for the next few days."

Clint forced his brain to ignore the fact that Percy was deliberately antagonizing a god and move on. "So what now?" he asked.

Percy's face immediately darkened. "Now I'm going to remind my family why you don't mess with my Annabeth."

Stark held up a hand. "Annabeth as in, daughter of Athena Annabeth?" 

Percy looked at him. "Yeah, so?"

Stark grinned. "Just making sure."

"So how many of you are there?" Natasha asked. Clint could see Percy's wince.

"Not as many as there used to be," he said, and we could all hear the sadness in his voice. "After the Second Titan and Giant Wars…" 

Steve interrupted this time. "Wait, wars?"

Percy groaned and sat back down. "Uggh, I'm going to have to explain this all won't I?" he muttered, half to himself. He looked at us. "You guys might want to get comfortable, this is going to take a while."

Clint sat on the floor with his back braced against the control panel while Natasha claimed the only chair. Steve, Tony, and Bruce mirrored Percy and sat on the floor of the cell. Percy took a deep breath.

"Well, it all started when I was twelve and I found out my Pre-Algebra teacher was a psycho demon-grandmother…"

 **ACACACACACACACACA**

Agent Maria Hill of SHIELD looked up as an alert popped up on her screen. Her eyes widened. She rushed to the Director's office.

"Director," she said, as soon as she was admitted. "We have a problem." She held out the tablet she was carrying. "It seems that someone hacked into SHIELD's spy cameras in Jackson's cell as well as the ones covering the hallway outside and disabled them."

Fury cursed and met her eyes. "Does this hacker happen to be a five-foot nine Avenger with a goatee."

Hill grimaced but nodded. "He took them off-line a few minutes ago, right before the entire team disappeared. We're pretty sure they went in there to talk to Jackson. No one else is in the room, they dismissed the agents we had stationed in there. Our techs are working on getting back some audio… but its Stark. He doesn't do anything halfway, so they're not very optimistic. Jarvis keeps booting them out whenever they get close."

Fury rubbed his face and sighed. "That man will be the death of me," he muttered. He was about to respond when the door slammed open.

An agent burst into the room. "Director Fury, the Council just called. They're asking for you."

Fury glared at the man. "Can't you tell them I'm busy?"

The agent shook his head. "They're insistent. They said it's about Perseus Jackson."

Hill cursed in her head. If the World Security Council had found out about the Enhanced teen and his abilities, they'd want to take him to a more secure base and away from Fury. They'd been on shaky terms with the Council since they'd tried to nuke New York. And Hill knew that their methods to make the boy talk wouldn't be as gentle as theirs, if only to spite Fury. He'd tried to keep the kid a secret for just that reason.

Fury stood reluctantly. He nodded to the agent. "Tell them I'll be there in the next few minutes." The agent left, and Fury turned to Hill. "Get to the Avengers. Tell them what's going on. They need to get the boy out of there."

"Are you sure, sir? If they're wrong about him, and he's really a terrorist or worse…"

"I'm sure. That boy may be an Enhanced, but I have a feeling his heart's in the right place. But either way I can't let the Council take him just to get back at me."

Hill nodded. They needed to get Jackson out of the Council's reach. If they didn't… Hill didn't want to think about it. She ran out of Fury office and took the elevator straight to the detention levels. She ran to the door leading to Percy's cell and hit the control pad to open the door. As she expected, it refused to open.

"Apologies, Agent Hill, but Mr. Stark is not allowing anyone in at this moment." Jarvis' cool voice informed her.

"Jarvis, tell Stark I need to talk to him. It's urgent."

"Very well." Thirty seconds later, Jarvis spoke again. "Mr. Stark is busy but asked for you to leave a message."

Hill's temper flared. "Tell Stark that it's about the kid and that if he doesn't get his metallic butt out here he might not ever see him again!"

A pause stretched out in the corridor. A few minutes later, Jarvis' response came. "They're coming out."

Seconds later the doors slid open and Tony walked out, followed by Natasha and Clint. Tony stared at her. "What are you talking about, Agent Hill? You better not have just said that so I'd come out. I was really enjoying that conversation."

Maria took a deep breath, burying her curiosity. "The Council called Fury. They found out about Jackson and they're not going to be happy. Fury's ready to bet the Helicarrier that they're going to take him, and if they do, it's not going to be pretty. He wants you guys to get him out of here."

"How?" Natasha asked. "We can't just walk him out of here."

Hill grinned. "Let him escape."

 **ACACACACACACACACA**

Percy watched as Tony, Clint, and Natasha (he'd finally thought to ask them) walked out. He caught a brief glimpse of a dark-haired woman in a dark combat suit outside before the door slid shut. He hoped he'd made the right decision in trusting the Avengers. If he was wrong… Percy didn't think Zeus would be very forgiving if the truth about Olympus was on the frontpage tomorrow morning.

His only comfort was that Steve and Bruce looked as confused as he was, so he knew they weren't in on anything. He sighed. It was too late now to do anything about it. He'd managed to give them a brief rundown on the truth of Greek mythology and the Second Titan War without giving too many details. He hadn't told them where Camp Half-Blood or Olympus. He wasn't a total Seaweed Brain, despite what Annabeth thought.

He winced. The thought of Annabeth sent a pang of sadness and fear through his heart. He needed to speed this up and find her as soon as he could. He wasn't about to lose her after all they'd been through.

He stood as Tony walked back in with Clint, Natasha and the woman. "What's going on?" he asked.

Tony turned to him. "We need you to escape." Bruce and Steve's face clearly displayed Percy's surprise.

"W-what?" Steve stuttered.

The woman turned to him. "Fury needs the kid to disappear. If he doesn't get out of the Council's reach, he's toast."

"Agent Hill, how can you expect us to…" Steve started, but Percy tuned him out.

Percy was confused, but if they needed him to leave, he would oblige. He closed his eyes and focused on Riptide. He didn't have any pockets, but he knew the swords connection to him ran deeper than that. Tuning out the talking around him, he concentrated solely on his sword. Ever since he was twelve, he'd relied on that sword for his very survival. It was the most important thing he owned, the only thing that had allowed him to survive his many quests and the depths of Tartarus.

A silly thing like no pockets wouldn't stop his sword from getting to him. After a few seconds, the usual length of time it would take the pen to arrive in his pocket if he had been disarmed, he felt a familiar weight settle in his hand. He opened his eyes and smiled at the simple ballpoint pen in his hand. He looked up at the Avengers who seemed to be debating the best way to let him escape and called out for their attention. "Hey guys! How about we do this?" He walked forward and uncapped Riptide. He slashed through the glass. The Celestial Bronze blade cut through the clear wall easily and a couple more cuts left him with an opening he could easily walk through. He stepped through calmly and allowed himself a few moments to enjoy the dumbstruck faces in front of him.

Tony was, for once, speechless. "How did you… What did you… Where…?"

Percy just winked at him. "I've got a few extra tricks up my sleeve." He turned to Steve, his face growing serious. "Do what you have to do to make this look believable. I'll be fine." He hesitated briefly, then made up his mind. "Something big is coming. We're going to need to work together. Do you trust me?"

Steve glanced at the rest of the team. Percy did as well, and he could see the determination to help him in their faces, even Agent Hill, whom Percy had just met. He locked eyes with her, pleading silently, and she nodded, leaving immediately. When Steve met Percy's eyes again, he nodded, his face matching the others. Percy took a deep breath, before turning to Tony. "What time is it?"

Tony looked surprised at his question. He checked the tablet in front of him. "Four o'clock in the afternoon."

Percy nodded. He turned back to Steve. "When you guys come to 'look' for me tonight, head for the same stretch of road where you confronted Annabeth and me. I'll be waiting. I'm trusting you guys to come alone."

Steve nodded in understanding. "And we're trusting you not to lead us into a trap."

Percy continued. "I don't understand what's going to happen, but I know that I'm going to need you guys. I've dealt with a lot of things since I found out who and what I am, but this is different. It's going to take a combined effort."

Steve didn't have to ask the team for their answers. "We'll be there."

Percy sighed in relief. Regardless of what else the prophecy had said, it had been clear that he would need the Avenger's help. The fact that they were willing to trust him was a good sign. He walked to the door and it slid open, revealing an empty hallway. But Percy could here lots of footsteps coming towards him. He called back over his shoulder. "Oh and Tony? Sorry about the plumbing!" With that he charged out of the room, capping his sword as he ran. He knew it wouldn't work on mortals. As he ran he kept an eye out for any SHIELD agents, but he didn't see anyone until he reached the elevators. As the doors opened, a group emerged and pointed their guns at him. He concentrated, and a moment later. The pipes in the walls around him exploded, the water inside them washing the agents back into the elevator as Percy raced past.

He sprinted into the stairwell and started racing down the stairs, glancing at the sign that indicated what floor he was on. He groaned. Seriously Stark? Who puts their cells on the forty-fourth floor? Water cascaded down the steps behind him. It was still flooding out of the pipes he had busted. He grimaced at the mess he was making. _Oh well,_ he thought. _It was unavoidable._

He managed to make it down at least ten floors before he heard commotion on the landing below him. He cursed and ran out onto the main floor, which was filled with little office cubicles. Several employees looked at him in confusion as he burst in, breathing heavily and probably looking strange in his plain grey outfit, completely barefoot. He quickly called out, "Where's the nearest window?"

One person pointed to his left, so he nodded quickly and started sprinting for the hallway. Once he was out of eyesight, he hit a nearby fire alarm, and ducked inside an empty office as a mad rush for the elevator ensued. Once the flow of panicked people slowed, he ran out, grabbing a navy sweatshirt from the back of the door as he did. It wasn't much, but it would help. He threw it on, and kept moving down the hallway, looking for a window. He had a crazy idea, but he needed to get an idea of where he was first.

He finally saw sunlight pouring out of a door and dashed inside, locking the door behind him. He turned and found himself in another office, but with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Manhattan skyline. He could see the East River a few blocks away. If he could just get there he would be good. He examined the distance between the window and the closest building. It looked like a hotel, with some gardens on the roof. He'd have to drop a few floors and clear the alley below, but he thought he could make it.

Suddenly, a banging at the door alerted him to the agents just as they crashed into the room. Three guns were leveled at him and fired. He managed to evade their first shots and charged them. He grabbed the first guy, wrestled him into a headlock and spun around to face the other two, keeping the struggling agent in between them. He could hear more footsteps approaching and knew he had to get out of there. He glanced behind him and saw cracks spreading across the window from the missed shots.

He turned back to the agents and grinned. "Tell your director I think his security needs some upgrades." He shoved his hostage onto the other agents, causing them all to tumble to the ground. He turned and charged the window, throwing his shoulder into one of the cracks, causing the entire window to shatter. He cried out as he felt some of the glass shards slice his legs.

His momentum carried him over the meters separating the buildings as he freefell, and he managed to roll safely as he hit the roof of the neighboring building. He grinned wryly. Those vacations to Camp Jupiter were definitely coming in handy now. He never thought he'd be so glad to have been dropped from giant golden eagles repeatedly. He checked his cuts, but they were nothing life-threatening.

He stood and sprinted for the rooftop access door ten meters away, bursting into a stairwell just as he heard gunshots firing. He charged down the stairs, emerging onto the next floor and immediately slamming his hand into the down button for the elevator. After a few minutes, a ding alerted him to the elevator's arrival, and he entered, pressing the lobby button. As he descended, he turned the sweatshirt inside out, revealing the paler inside. He ripped off the last few inches off his pants and used them to bandage his cuts. He pulled up the sweatshirt's hood and thanked the gods when no one else entered the elevator. Once he reached the ground floor, he casually walked out, crossing the lobby in a few seconds.

He emerged onto the street and checked carefully to make sure he wouldn't be noticed. He could hear sirens and saw SHIELD agents exiting Avengers Tower. He lowered his head and walked calmly away from them, heading for the River. He had to duck into alleys a few times to avoid cop cars as they raced by, sirens screaming. He found an abandoned pair of old tennis shoes in one and pulled them on. They were a bit big, but they were better than nothing and helped him blend in.

After several detours to avoid agents and one or two fist fights, he was only a one block away from the river. He quickly checked around him and casually jogged towards the waterfront. When he was a few meters away from the edge, he heard the unmistakable sound of a safety being released behind him.

"Jackson!" he heard. "Turn around slowly, with you hands up!" He pivoted slowly and faced the three agents behind him. They were dressed in street clothes and each had a hard expression on their face. Pedestrians were stopping around them and looking at them in fear. One of the agents addressed them, holding out a badge. "This is SHIELD business everyone! Please back away while we apprehend this man."

Percy narrowed his eyes. He couldn't do anything huge with so many mortals around. If he could just get to the water he'd be fine.

The agent who had just taken care of the crowds turned to him and started slowly walking towards him. "Now, Mr. Jackson, just come with us and we'll do this the easy way."

Percy took a few steps back. "Sorry boys, I'm not interested." He sensed their movement before he saw them move. He turned around and dove for the water a few meters below him. He felt something slam into his shoulder, and his brain briefly registered the fact that he had been shot before he hit the water. He gasped in pain as he commanded the currents to take him around the southern tip of Long Island.

He quickly examined his shoulder and was relieved to see the bleeding had stopped already. With his war-trained eyes, he could tell that he'd gotten lucky. The bullet had completely missed his collarbone and major arteries, and it had passed clean through. He allowed himself to relax as he sped towards Camp Half-Blood to wait for the Avengers.

He just hoped they'd show up.


	11. Chapter 11: Time to Talk

**ARRGGG! I can't stop writing! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! I really shouldn't be writing right now, but I'm on a roll and I wanted to reward all of my wonderful readers.**

 **So without further ado: Chapter 11! (Something tells me you guys are going to like this one;)**

 **Chapter 11: Time to Talk**

Percy emerged from the ocean just outside the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The sun had set a few minutes ago, turning the sky into a breathtaking array of fiery colors. For a moment Percy was reminded of the Phlegethon in Tartarus. He shook his head, clearing his mind of Tartarus. He had a job to do.

He started walking to the road a few miles away, gently massaging his shoulder as he went. The bullet wound was almost fully healed, but it was still pretty sore. Percy was just grateful it was his left shoulder, so his dominant-right would still be able to fight.

His rendezvous with the Avengers was still a mile or two away, so he started thinking about what he was going to tell them. He'd already decided to reveal Camp Half-Blood to them. He needed to go home anyways and figure out what was going on. He sighed. Chiron wasn't going like this.

He made it to the stretch of road where he and Annabeth had faced off against the Avengers. In the distance he could see Half-Blood Hill and Thalia's pine tree silhouetted against the darkening sky. He settled down to wait. The chilly fall air made him even more grateful for the sweatshirt. He ended up dozing off.

About an hour had passed before Percy was jolted awake by the sounds of an engine. He looked up to see the red-and-gold suit of armor a few hundred meters away and a black SUV approaching on the road.

He stood, groaning as his shoulder complained loudly. He moved out into the open, adopting a casual stance. As soon as the car stopped, Bruce jumped out and ran towards him. Percy's eyes widened at the frantic/concerned look on the doctor's face. For a second, Percy thought he was about to be attacked. He spun around, expecting a monster to be creeping up behind him. When he didn't see anything, he turned back and saw that Bruce was right in front of him. He yelped and jumped backwards.

"Percy! Where are you hurt?" He yelled. Percy realized that they must have heard about his injuries. He glanced at the rest of the team in full combat gear and saw their expressions mirrored Bruce's. He was touched by their concern and felt a twinge of amusement at the situation. He faced Bruce.

"I'm fine. Honestly!" He said as Bruce's eyebrow crept up.

Steve walked up to join Bruce, and Tony landed nearby. Natasha cut in. "You jumped out of a window, fell two stories, and took a bullet to the back. That is not fine."

Percy looked down at himself. He had to admit the spots of blood on his clothes didn't look good. "I've had worse. It's a good thing water heals me."

Bruce wasn't satisfied and closed the gap between them, forcing Percy to take off his sweatshirt and turn around so he could check the bullet wound. He whistled softly. "You're not kidding. This thing looks like its been healing for three weeks!" He let Percy turn back around and quickly scanned him for other injuries.

"So how'd you get out of the river?" Clint asked. "SHIELD is still monitoring the all the banks in a mile radius where you went in, but there was no sign of you."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I can breathe underwater. Sorry if I worried you guys."

Tony snorted. "Worried? Bruce was so scared I thought the other guy was going to make an appearance." Steve glared at Tony, while Percy cocked his head. _Huh,_ he thought. _Guess I'm not the only one keeping certain assets to myself._ But he shrugged. He couldn't expect them to trust him completely either.

"Ok, well, now that you're all here, time to come clean." Percy's face grew deadly serious. "You guys probably noticed that I avoided mentioning where I go every summer." He took a deep breath. "There's a place here on Long Island called Camp Half-Blood. It's one of maybe three places in the world where demigods like me are safe from constant monster attacks. That's where we're headed." He locked eyes with each of the Avengers. "I know you all understand the risk I'm taking, telling you this. Mortals are almost never allowed in Camp, but this is an emergency. Now, lets go." Percy walked over to the SUV with the rest of the group following him, including Stark. Percy turned to him. "You might not want to wear that into camp. Some of the kids might freak out."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "In an excited way or a freaked-out way?"

Percy thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Probably both."

Stark chuckled as he stepped out of the armor, allowing to shrink into suitcase form **(A/N: Hey just like Festus!)**. Percy sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. He drove down the road until he got to the base of Half-Blood Hill. He hopped out, gesturing for the team to follow. He walked solemnly up the hill, pausing briefly to pat Peleus, the guardian of the Golden Fleece. He looked out over the Camp and felt himself relax. Everything was just like he'd left it. The two cabin circles, the Big House, the canoe lake. He sighed contentedly. He was home.

But then his eyes were drawn to the campfire in the distance. His eyes narrowed. He could see the flames, but Percy couldn't hear any camp songs. The flames were small and the color of ash. Percy was about to charge down to investigate when he heard a choked noise behind him. He turned and saw the Avengers staring at Peleus and Thalia's tree.

Tony recovered first. "Is that..." he gulped nervously. "…a dragon?" Percy wished he had a camera to capture their expressions.

"Yeah." He said dismissively. "That's Peleus. Just don't touch the fleece and you'll be good." Then, what Tony said finally hit him, and Percy spun to the Avengers. "Wait, who can see the dragon?"

Five hands shot up, along with Percy's eyebrows. They could all see him? Then Percy remembered something Annabeth's cousin Magnus had told him. He'd managed to help a mortal become clear-sighted by showing him the palace of the gods or something. The Fates must have opened their eyes so that they could help him.

Percy grunted. "Hmm, go figure," he muttered. He turned back to the camp and crossed the border before turning back. He looked to the skies. "I, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, hereby give the following mortals permission to cross the borders of Camp Half-Blood: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff."

Thunder echoed in the distance and he nodded his head. "Alright, come on." He turned and jogged down the hill, heading for the campfire, where he could see Chiron's silhouette outlined against the flames. He could hear the mortals following close behind him. Percy was grateful for the darkness around him. It helped him avoid lone campers and awkward questions. A hundred feet from the amphitheater, Percy turned and gestured for the Avengers to be quiet. He crept around to the side of the fire, and he could finally see the reason for the solemn atmosphere. His heart dropped.

It was a funeral pyre.

 **PNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNP**

Natasha looked around at the dark camp. She could see the Ancient Greek influences everywhere. She quickly glanced at everything behind her before focusing on the scene in front of her. She could see at least one hundred fifty, maybe two hundred, _kids_ sitting on the benches. Some were younger than eight, but none were older than Percy. Many had tears in their eyes. She looked at the front of the crowd. Standing there was an honest-to-goodness _centaur_ , addressing the crowd _._ The creature's top half was a kind-looking man in a button-up shirt and a somber expression on his face, but from the waist down, he was a white stallion. She shook her head. _Focus,_ she thought. _Greek myths are real, stop being surprised._ She focused on the flames and she could see a body wrapped in a grey shroud resting on the logs. The shroud had designs on it, but she couldn't make them out.

She looked at Percy just in time to see his face crumble. His serious expression was replaced by devastating sadness, and he gestured for all of them to stay still. He stood up straight and walked forward into the light when the centaur finished speaking. Immediately, the crowd's attention focused on him and as he walked across the stage to the centaur. She heard agitated whispers, including the young man's name, erupting from the campers. She could see many hopeful looks directed at the son of Poseidon. Natasha realized that Percy meant a lot to these kids. They admired him. Heck, she'd only known the kid for a few days and even _she_ respected him.

Percy had given them a brief rundown of the Titan War. He'd had to lead these kids into battle against one of the most powerful beings in their world. They'd fought for parents who often didn't even care that they existed unless they were needed. Natasha's respect and sympathy for these teenagers rise. She knew what it was like to be forced into a life without any say in the matter.

She focused on Percy as he finished talking to the centaur. Both had grave expressions on their faces, but as the conversation continued, the centaur's face morphed into one of shock. He gestured wildly at the demigods and looked flustered. Percy said a few more things, and when the centaur nodded, he turned to the crowd.

"Campers," he started, and all whispers stopped immediately. They turned back to the front and faced the boy expectantly. Natasha could see Percy bracing himself, and then he continued. "I know you all want to know how I'm here, but that will come later. For now, we are here to remember Connor Stoll, son of Hermes." Percy faced the fire, _a funeral pyre,_ Natasha realized, and sighed heavily. I've known him and Travis since my first summer here at Camp. I remember how fun he was to be around; how funny he was. He and his brother were always ready to crack a joke or play a prank when things were at their darkest. When he became one of the counselors of the Hermes cabin, he proved that he was a leader." Tears started streaming down Percy's face. "I've done this too many times. Too many friends, too many kids who've sacrificed themselves for the safety of this world. Connor knew the risks of leaving camp, but he did it to come find me, to help me."

Percy turned to the pyre, the shroud now almost completely consumed. "Thank you, Connor. Thanks for all the laughs. Your father will be proud. See you in Elysium." Percy bowed his head in respect to the fallen demigod, and the rest of the demigods followed suit. Fresh tears were pouring down. Natasha glanced around, and she was shocked to see the rest of the team crying as well. She touched her face and was shocked to find her cheek was a little wet as well. She looked back at Percy. The boy was turning to face a figure who had just rounded the opposite side of the pyre. The flames illuminated their face and she was shocked to see the face of one of the boys from Thorn's picture.

She heard small gasps echo hers from the other Avengers. They'd been sure that both boys were dead. His wounds had looked mortal. She watched as Percy walked forward and embraced the young man.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to need you all to follow me." A soft voice from her left startled Natasha. She spun and saw the centaur standing in front of her with a solemn face. "My name is Chiron. Percy will explain the situation to the campers, but we need to get you mortals to the Big House."

She looked at the boys and rolled her eyes when she saw that all of them were staring blankly at the centaur. She nodded cautiously. "Lead the way." Her voice seemed to snap the boys out of their stupors and they all followed the centaur to a large barn house a few hundred meters away.

 **A/N: So what do you guys think? I decided that killing both brothers was too much, and I figured having Travis live was acceptable. I hope you guys like this chapter!**

 **The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to post the already-finished 12** **th** **chapter that's just sitting in my laptop. Let me know what you think and where the story should go from here! Your guys' input is priceless, and I always enjoy reading reviews.**

 **Catch you guys later!**

 **Stiltsrosko out!**


	12. Chapter 12: Reunions

**Here's chapter 12 everybody! Thanks for all the support this week, its been a rough one. There'll be another chapter tonight, I'm working on it right now. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the chapters you guys gave me some amazing reviews. We're currently at 23,712 views, 129 Reviews, 322 Followers and 200 Favorites! You're support is amazing!**

 **To the Guests who reviewed: Thanks to all! I loved all of your reviews and I wish I could acknowledge each and every one of you. You all gave me fantastic ideas and comments that I plan on using and they always make me happy. Thanks a million guys!**

 **And now *dramatic drum roll* Chapter 12!**

 **Chapter 12: Reunions**

Percy pulled himself out of the hug and looked Travis Stoll in the eyes. He could see the tears on his face and the redness in his eyes. Percy couldn't blame the guy. He'd just lost his brother. His other half. As the rest of the campers started talking among themselves again, he grasped Travis' arm to ensure himself that he was still there.

"Travis, I'm so sorry about Connor." Percy swallowed thickly. "If you guys didn't come to find me…"

Travis cut him off. "Perce, I swear if you disrespect my brother like that you'll be needing your own shroud." He said with a hoarse, thick voice, anger flashing across his face briefly before melting into sadness. "We chose to come and find you. This isn't your fault."

Percy nodded before looking at the bandages on Travis' neck. "How did you… Thorn told me… How are you still alive?"

Travis grimaced. "After Thorn left with Annabeth, Chiron raced up and found us. Some of the cleaning harpies had heard the fight going on and alerted him. Connor…" Travis' voice broke a little as he said his brother's name. "Connor was already gone, but Chiron managed to get some nectar in me, kept me going long enough to get me to the Apollo cabin." Travis took a deep, shuddering breath before looking at Percy, a forced grin plastered on his face. "So, are you going to make a habit of crashing funerals? You already did your own."

Percy chuckled weakly. That had been an awkward reunion. "I'll try to contain myself."

Travis smiled, then turned serious. "But how did you get here?" he asked. "Annabeth told us…"

Percy cut him off. "I'll explain in a minute, I don't want to explain more than once."

Percy turned to address the demigods again. The whispers died out as they saw him waiting expectantly. Most schools hadn't started yet, so most of the campers were still here.

Percy took another deep breath. _One more time,_ he thought. He was never really comfortable when the entire camp looked at him. They saw him as a leader, as their hero. It only made it harder when he let them down, like he'd done with Connor. He scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. He could see Katie Gardener, daughter of Demeter, Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares, Clovis, son of Hypnos, awake for once. Nico and Will were sitting next to each other, staring at him with concerned expressions on their faces. Rachel was staring at him with a sad expression on her face. He gestured for her to join her on the stage and she nodded, rising from her seat.

Percy began. "I don't know how many of you've heard about it, but another prophecy was recently given." A nervous muttering erupted from the crowd of demigods. Percy waited patiently for it to subside. By the time it had, Rachel was standing next to him. "Rachel, if you would?" he asked.

She nodded, and a faint green light focused on her, along with a low hissing as she recited the prophecy:

 _The Hero of Olympus, the sea god's son_

 _Alone can unite Earth and our Pantheon._

 _Together with those who would seek to avenge,_

 _He must defeat the Pit lest it takes its revenge._

 _Beware, for the Veil has already been torn_

 _And fear may destroy those who are god-borne._

 _But together Earth's heroes and the great demigod_

 _May yet defeat Tartarus and return to home's sod._

This time, full-on shouts were coming from the crowd. Percy raised his hands and yelled, "QUIET!" This shut the crowd up pretty quickly. He nodded at Rachel in thanks and she walked back to her seat. "The prophecy has already begun. This week I was taken by SHIELD, a government agency that thought I was a threat to the world. They didn't know I was a demigod, they were just scared of my powers." Percy looked at his hands and clenched them into fists. "Some of you may know, the mortals have a group called the Avengers that have been protecting them. They came to me, got to know me, and I began to trust them. Then, a manticore appeared and told me about Annabeth, Travis… and Connor." The mention of Connor stilled the crowd. "These Avengers helped me escape…" Percy hesitated for one more second before dropping the bombshell. "…and I brought them here."

A stunned silence followed, before Clarisse yelled out, "Prissy! You're telling me that there are currently mortals in camp?"

Percy sighed. "Yes Clarisse. As you heard in the prophecy, we need them to stop Tartarus. I've seen him, we… we can't beat him alone. But I trust these Avengers, now I'm asking you all to trust me." Percy looked out at the crowd of his friends, his _family_. He knew they were depending on him. He could see the fear and determination in their faces. Travis stepped forward.

"I trust you Percy. Even though the prophecy says you have to do this alone, you can count on me for anything." Travis' commitment seemed to steel the rest of the demigods resolve. Percy gave him a grateful look.

"Alright then," he said. "Now, it's time for bed. Good night." With that, he walked off the stage, only pausing once to offer his last respects to Connor.

Then he set off for the Big House. He had some questions for Chiron.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Steve tore his eyes away from the sleeping leopard head on the wall when he heard the door open. Percy walked in, looked tired and depressed, and Steve couldn't blame him. He'd just attended a friend's funeral, but what really made Steve's heart hurt was that the fact that Percy seemed accustomed to it. Like he'd already lost so much and had resigned himself to this part of life.

Steve shook his head. That was an attitude no teenager should have.

The centaur, _Chiron_ , Steve remembered, gestured to the couch Steve was sitting on with Tony. Percy sank into it with a tired groan. He closed his eyes and didn't say anything. Bruce, Natasha and Clint were watching him from the couch facing them. Chiron was currently in a wheelchair. He had thought Tony was going to faint when he first saw the centaur back into the thing, and Steve knew it was only a matter of time before the inventor asked for blueprints.

Chiron had given the team a brief synopsis on the Greek Gods, including how they moved around based on where western civilization was strongest. Steve knew there was still secrets that were being kept, but he wasn't about to pry. He could understand their hesitation. After millennia of hiding they weren't going to tell them everything just because Percy asked.

A few minutes of silence passed, then a few teens entered the room. Steve quickly looked them over. Leading the group was a dark-haired, pale boy, a few years younger than Percy, wearing a skull t-shirt and an aviator jacket. Beside him was another boy, this one blonde and tan, wearing an orange t-shirt and a windbreaker, about the same age. Behind them was a girl who's hair rivaled Merida's from the movie _Brave._ She was Percy's age, was wearing jeans and a green shirt with random paint stains and a blue hairbrush in the pocket. When she entered the room, Steve heard a gasp. He turned and saw Tony's shocked face, staring at the girl.

While Tony got over his surprise, Percy stood and greeted the teens. "Hey cuz." He said, giving the dark boy a tired grin. "Miss me?"

The blonde snorted. "You kidding, Percy? You and Annabeth had Nico worried sick."

Nico, Steve assumed, leveled a death glare at the blonde, but the teen was totally unfazed. "I swear Will, one of these days…"

"Calm down, you two," the red-head cut in. She stepped forward and gave Percy a hug that he accepted gratefully. "You need to stop scaring us like that."

Nico stepped up next to Percy. "Yeah, how many times have you disappeared now? I think we're at five now." He punched Percy on the shoulder.

Everyone saw the pain flash across Percy's face, though he tried to hide it. The blonde, Will, immediately pushed Nico and the red-head away, a serious frown replacing the amused grin on his face. He moved so quickly Percy's sweatshirt was off him before he could do anything about it. Everyone gasped when the saw the blood stains on Percy's shirt. He groaned and glared at Nico. "Thanks a lot Neeks."

"Percy!" Will chastised him. "What happened?"

Percy's face grew red. "I, um, got shot?" he replied nervously. Not another word was said before Will had dragged Percy out the door. They could hear Percy complaining as he was pulled down the hallway.

Bruce jumped up and started to follow them out the door. He was obviously interested and slightly concerned at the thought of a teenager trying to care for a bullet wound. He stopped briefly when Nico called to him. "Don't worry, Will's the best healer in the Apollo cabin." Bruce nodded but continued out the door, following the sound of Percy's complaints.

Steve cleared his throat. "Apollo cabin?"

Nico looked at him. "Yeah. That was my boyfriend, Will Solace, son of Apollo, god of healing, the sun, poetry, etc." Steve's eyes widened slightly when he heard the word _boyfriend_ , but he wisely didn't comment.

Natasha narrowed her eyes. "And you're Percy's cousin?" she asked

The boy gave a mock bow. "Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, god of the Underworld."

Steve gestured to himself. "I'm Steve Rogers. That's Natasha Romanoff. Clint Barton. Tony Stark. And the guy who just left was Bruce Banner." He gestured to each person as he introduced them.

A moment of silence followed. In that moment, Tony finally got his voice back. He pointed frantically at the redhead. "Rachel Dare?"

Rachel grinned and nodded. "Nice to see you too, Mr. Stark. I'm surprised you remember me."

Tony grinned smugly. "It took a while." He turned to Steve. "Dare Enterprises is one of the biggest development companies in the U.S. Ms. Dare here is the CEO's daughter." Then a shocked look covered his face. "Wait, you're a demi…"

"No!" She interrupted, her face slightly red. "I'm completely mortal. I'm the Oracle of Delphi."

Clint cocked his head, clearly confused. "Oracle of Delphi?"

Chiron explained. "The Oracle originated in Delphi, giving prophecies to questing heroes. Since the fall of Greece, the spirit of the oracle has passed from mortal maiden to another. It's how we get directions on how to complete quests. Though recently, the Oracle's spirit has been mostly dormant, so Ms. Dare here is completely harmless."

Tony grinned mischievously. "I take it your father doesn't know about this?"

"That his daughter is currently the host of a thousand-year-old spirit that spouts poems predicting the fate of the world? No, hasn't really come up at dinner." Rachel winked at Tony.

Tony shrugged. "It's not the craziest thing I've heard today."

Steve shook his head, chuckling, before standing up and walking out the door to find Percy. He heard a yelp coming from his left and he followed the noise until he stood in the doorway of a modest infirmary. Only one of the beds was occupied, and the patient clearly wasn't happy about it.

He met Percy's eyes and the kid mouthed _Help me!_ Steve laughed out loud as he saw his predicament. Will and Bruce were hovering protectively, talking rapidly. They'd managed to get Percy to take his shirt off and Steve took a moment to be shocked at the number of scars the boy had. The kid looked like he'd been through a meat grinder.

He tore his eyes away and walked into the room, examining the scabbed wound in Percy's left shoulder. Percy sighed, accepting his fate, and started twirling a pen around his fingers.

Will emerged from a cabinet with a roll of bandages and a cup of something and forced it into Percy's hand. Percy drank it without complaint, a resigned expression on his face. After a few moments, Steve watched in amazement as the scab shrank until it looked like it had been healing for months. He looked at Bruce to see his expression matched his own. "Amazing," the doctor said. "I don't suppose I could get some of that, could I Will?"

Will grinned evilly. "Sure, if you want to burn up as soon as you swallow."

Steve started. "Wait, what?" Percy busted up laughing at his expression.

Will smirked. "That was nectar, the drink of the gods. We also have ambrosia, same concept." He started wrapping Percy's shoulder. "If a mortal were to eat any of it, they'd immediately burn up. Literally. It can be dangerous for demigods too. It can be used to heal us, but too much carries the same risk. Though," he paused, looking pointedly at Percy. "For certain sons of Poseidon, it should be concerned a regular addition to his meals." He finished and walked around to face the son of Poseidon.

"Hey!" Percy cried. "It's not my fault I'm the Fates favorite when it comes to bad luck! You know they've got it out for me."

Will didn't let up. "It doesn't help that you jump headfirst into danger whenever you feel any of us are threatened."

Percy opened his mouth to protest, before closing it, apparently at a loss. Steve chuckled with Bruce and turned back to Will. "So he's going to be alright?" Percy shot him a grateful expression as the teen doctor turned to him.

"Yeah. The bullet didn't cause too much damage, and the fact that he spent a while in the water afterwards helped the process along." He turned back to Percy. "And I would ban you from quests until it's fully healed but I know that's pointless. You're going to leave even if you have to fight off the entire camp to get out, right?"

Percy stood. "Only if you guys make me." He pulled a fresh orange t-shirt over his head, then turned to Steve and Bruce. "Ready boys?" Steve stepped aside, gesturing at the door.

"After you."

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Tartarus faced a recently spawned dracaena. "Report." He said.

"My lord," she began. "Koiossss hasss managed to capture the female demigod, Annabeth Chasssse."

Tartarus' pleasure grew. "And the other?"

"On hisss way. The Titan isss confident he will come for her ssssoon."

Tartarus nodded. "Very well. Convey my approval to Koios and remind him that he has a week to get him."

The monster bowed, backing away slowly. "Yessss, my lord Tartarussss." She turned and slithered towards the gash of the veil, slipping in between other monsters quickly before joining the group about to pass through to the mortal world.

"Soon," Tartarus called. "Soon, Perseus Jackson and the mortal world will be mine."


	13. Chapter 13: Don't Let Tony in Bunker 9

**Hey guys I know I promised this would be up last night but things got crazy. Huge thanks to everyone who commented and let me know how they felt about the story.**

 **Sorry if this chapters a little slow. But I had to get some exposition out of the way. I hope you all don't hate it! I threw in a few laughs to sweeten the pill**

 **Dedicated to my sister again, this time for nagging me to update. You can thank Jo for this one everyone!**

 **Chapter 13: Don't Tell Tony About Bunker 9**

Tony was having the time of his life.

He was surrounded by demigods, actual _demigods_ , and he'd just watched the entire back end of a centaur back into a wheelchair. Also the sleeping leopard head on the wall was scarily realistic. If he could just get a few minutes, or hours, with that wheelchair…

Tony's thoughts were interrupted as Steve, Percy, Bruce, and the blonde, Will, reentered the room. Will had a smug expression on his face, while Percy had an exasperated one. "So," he asked, "did you guys get Water Boy all fixed up?"

Percy shot him a glare while everyone else chuckled. Bruce spoke up. "Amazingly, yeah. They have this ambrosia stuff that…" Tony toned Bruce out when he went all medical. They may be science bros, but Tony didn't have much interest in the medical field. He glanced at the demigods' amused expressions as the others returned to their seats on the couches. Then he noticed the Nico kid was staring at Steve.

"Hey, Death Boy," he said. "You got something to say to Capsicle?"

If looks could kill, Tony would have been mummified, but the kid didn't respond to him. He just turned to Steve and asked, "Aren't you Captain America? From WWII?"

A stunned silence filled the room. The Avengers hadn't expected anyone to know who they were. Also, Steve had only introduced them by their actual names. Steve managed to stutter, "H-how did you…?"

Percy laughed. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Nikki here is also a kid out of time. He was actually born in 1934. Surprise!" The Avengers looked at the son of Hades in shock. Percy continued. "There's this place in Vegas called the Lotus Hotel. Same thing happened to me on my first quest. It slows down time and makes you never want to leave. I was in there for five days, and it felt like hours. Nico and Bi… Nico was in there for seventy years.

Tony noticed Percy's hesitation and the sudden quiet it brought to the room. He reluctantly let it go. "So that's how you knew who I was?" Steve asked Nico.

The boy nodded. "I lived in Washington D.C. My mom was the daughter of an Italian diplomat, so I heard about you a lot. She liked your shows." Tony saw Steve grimace slightly and laughed. He remembered what his dad had told him about Captain America's inspirational presentations. He just wished they'd gotten more on tape.

"Well, Nico, after all this is over, we really need to get together. I've missed having people to talk to," Steve said.

"Hey! You talk to me!" Tony cried.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but not about anything before 2010. Anything before that is 'too outdated', if I remember correctly." Steve raised an eyebrow at him. Tony was about to argue but he stopped himself. The Capsicle was right after all.

Clint cleared his throat, drawing the rooms' attention to him and Natasha. "Quick question." He turned to the centaur who had been watching the action with a grin. "Wasn't Chiron the centaur who trained Achilles?"

Chiron grinned. "Excellent observation, Mr. Barton. As a matter of fact, I have been alive since the Golden Age of the Titans, nearly 4000 years ago. I have trained heroes for my entire life, and Zeus granted me immortality so that I could continue to teach them."

The campers started laughing when they saw the dumbstruck expressions. _Well,_ Tony thought, _you can hardly blame us. It's not everyday that we meet a four-thousand-year-old centaur._

Percy finally managed to stop laughing long enough to talk. "Man, I love watching people's expressions when he tells them. You wouldn't believe the number of pictures Travis and Connor have gotten over the past few years. They're prime blackmail material." The room went quiet for a moment and the kids had sad smiles on their faces, remembering better times.

Chiron sighed. "Connor will be missed. But for now we need to focus."

"Hang on, one more question." This time it was Bruce. "We know Thor and Loki, but they're from another planet called Asgard. You guys aren't. What's up with that?"

Everyone, including the campers, turned to Chiron. He frowned thoughtfully before answering. "Unlike the Roman gods, the Norse aren't aspects of the original Greek gods. There are similarities, of course, but they originated from something else." The centaur turned his wheelchair towards the Avengers. "Your Thor visited Earth a few thousand years ago, correct?" They nodded, having been told several stories by the god of thunder. "My best guess is our current versions of the Norse gods, the ones Percy encountered last year with Annabeth's cousin, were inspired by them. Similar to how the Egyptian gods are different from our Olympians. Your Thor and Loki are still technically mortal. They were…"

"Wait a minute!" Tony interrupted. "You're saying Roman, Egyptians, and another version of the Norse gods all exist too?" Tony's head was about to explode from all of the new information. The implications of this were huge! If all of those mythologies were true…

The gears in Tony's head were spinning faster than ever.

Chiron's eyes widened as he realized his slip, then sighed when he realized the damage was done. "You would have found out eventually. You're correct Mr. Stark. As Percy here has almost single-handedly discovered, most of the mythologies around the world are still alive and well today, if only because many still believe in them."

"So how come we haven't noticed them?" Bruce asked. "If almost everything from mythology is still around, how do we miss the monsters all around us?"

"That would be the Mist," Will answered. "It's a kind of magic that covers the eyes of mortals, making it so they don't notice when a monster appears right in front of them."

"I don't know exactly how Percy did it," Chiron continued, "but he did something that opened your eyes to what lays underneath the Mist. It's been weakened considerably lately, thanks to your Thor's appearance and the aliens in New York. Percy somehow took advantage of that and parted it around you, making you clearsighted. Now you will be able to see the monsters around you. A useful skill, considering what we need you to do."

"What does clearsighted mean?" Natasha asked, slightly suspicious.

"You're no longer affected by the Mist," Percy replied. "You'll see monsters and us for what we really are now. My mom's the same way. It was how she attracted Poseidon's attention."

Steve nodded, absorbing the information, and turned to Chiron. "Anything else we need to know?"

Tony cut in with a grin. "Yeah, are there monsters hiding under the beds?"

"Nah, just in the woods." Will said. Tony stared at him, unable to tell if he was kidding. _Mental note: Do not go in woods,_ he thought.

Suddenly, a bright flash enveloped the room. By the time Steve's eyes had recovered, he saw a pudgy man in a leopard print shirt standing in the middle of the room. The man called out "Chiron! Father wants to have a word. He said something about Peter Johnson…" the man trailed off slightly and turned to the Avengers. "Why are mortals here?" He said in a bored tone.

"Everyone," Percy said, "this is Mr. D, the camp director of Camp Half-Blood." Percy's tone was polite, but Tony could hear some underlying dislike.

Chiron finished the introduction. "Also known as Dionysus, god of wine." Turning to address the god, "They're here to help with the new threat."

Tony's mouth dropped open. This guy was a _god!_ He didn't have any time to get over his surprise before the god turned to him.

"Tony Stark, right?" he asked, sounding slightly more interested. "You throw a good party." He turned back to the centaur, ignoring everyone else. "Please don't keep Father waiting. He's already in a bad mood thanks to Peter Johnson over there." The god spread his arms wide and started to glow.

"Cover your eyes!" Tony heard Percy shout, and he obeyed, not willing to question the panic in the teen's voice. Until further notice, he needed to be on his best behavior.

When he looked up again, the god was gone. He looked down and saw a Diet Coke in his hand. Percy and the other campers were looking at him in shock. "What?" he said. "What did I do?"

"Mr. D… didn't hate you." Percy's confusion was plain on his face. "He hates everyone."

Chiron stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Hmmm, well there's a first time for everything." The wizened centaur looked at Tony with a newfound respect. "I assume your parties are frequent involve large amounts of alcohol?"

Tony shrugged. "Yeah. I throw the best parties in New York. It's how I met Ms. Dare over there. Her father brought her. So?"

"Well, Dionysus is the god of parties as well as wine. Every time you throw a party, you send a little tribute to him."

Tony's face became thoughtful. "Hmm, go figure. Well, now that we've all met a god, shall we move on?"

Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid it will have to be without me, heroes." He began rolling his way out the door. "Rachel, if you wouldn't mind telling Argus I'll be needing the van?"

"You got it Chiron," she said heading out the door.

"Captain, Mr. Stark, if I might have a word outside?"

Tony noticed Percy discretely pulling out a camera and whispering to Will and Nico, drawing a smile from the blonde and an eye roll from Death Boy. He shrugged, and followed the wheelchair out the door, stopping on the verandah when Chiron turned to face them. "So what's this all about?" he asked.

The centaur's face was deadly serious. "I need you to know the gravity of this situation. This isn't just about saving the world. I need both of you to swear that no matter what happens, you'll get Annabeth out."

Steve's face grew confused. "Why? We're just mortals."

Chiron grinned weakly at that. "I know that you are both capable fighters. I keep up with mortal affairs, even if my students don't. And the fact that you aren't demigods may allow you to access places demigods can't. Now, he'd never admit it, but Percy is arguably the most powerful demigod in history."

Tony's eyebrows shot up. He knew the teen was powerful, but he'd been catching up on his Greek mythology that afternoon while he was 'searching' for Percy. To say he was the most powerful ever…

Chiron continued. "His power will only continue to grow over time, and if it ever fell into the wrong hands… Every hero has a fatal flaw. For some it's holding grudges, for others pride or doubt. Percy's has always been personal loyalty." Tony could see Steve understand, but he was still confused.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked.

"Usually, yes," Steve answered. "But since they have Annabeth, the one person he cares about most…"

Chiron nodded. "Precisely. His enemies will seek to control him, turn him into a weapon. He'd do anything to protect her, and I'm afraid Thorn knows that. That's why I need you both to swear that you'll get her out."

Tony swallowed. "Even if it means leaving Percy behind?"

The centaur's eyes turned sad, and Tony realized how old he really was. After all, Greek heroes rarely got the storybook ending. No one answered his question.

After a moment, Chiron shook himself slightly and turned his chair. "Thank you both. I just needed to be sure. Head back inside, I'm sure they're missing you."

Steve and Tony walked back inside solemnly, leaving the old centaur alone. Once they'd entered, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce immediately looked at them. Their eyes were filled with question, but Steve mouthed, _later._ The campers were laughing and barely noticed their entrance. But before Tony could say anything he was distracted by Rachel's return, followed by… "WHAT THE H*** IS THAT?"

His shout of surprise was echoed by the other Avengers. They were all staring in shock at the ma… **thing** in front of them. It had eyes on literally every part of his body, and each one was shining with amusement.

A moment later, Tony heard a click and then the laughter started. He turned to see the campers laughing, while Percy was rolling on the floor and Will was doubled over, holding the camera. Rachel and Nico were at least trying to hide their laughter, though they were failing miserably. The man, _Argus_ , Tony assumed, followed Chiron out the door, winking at Tony with the eye on the back of his neck. The gesture sent shivers crawling down his spine.

It took several minutes for Percy to recover enough to get off the ground, and even then, he was still giggling frequently. "You… you should have…" he gasped, "…seen your faces! Man, I really needed that!"

Nico finally took over, rolling his eyes at Will and Percy's immaturity. "Well, first we need to figure out where they took Annabeth. That's probably where they're mobilizing."

The humor in the room disappeared as Percy's face darkened. Tony could feel the protectiveness for his girl pouring off him. Tony decided right there and then that he would not even try to stop the demigod from getting to her, for the sake of his health.

"No need," Percy said. "I know exactly where they took her."

"What? How?" Rachel asked.

"Same place as last time." Steve answered, and Tony remembered what Thorn had said. Steve turned to Percy. "This has happened before hasn't it? During one of the wars you mentioned?" **(A/N: Percy only had time to give them a quick rundown of the major events of the Second Titan War, only including how he found out he was a demigod, his relation to Kronos and the last battle. Just letting you all know. They didn't have any time for details, because Agent Hill ended up coming in to get Percy out. On with the chapter!)**

Percy nodded solemnly. "When I was fourteen. It was right after we found Nico and his sister, Bianca." The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees, and the campers looked nervously at Nico, who's face had turned to stone. After a few moments, the boy looked at Percy and nodded slightly. Percy gave him a grateful smile and continued. "They were at a school named Westover Hall, a military academy. A friend of mine, Grover, found out they were demigods and asked for help. Annabeth, my cousin Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and I went to extract them. I found them, but unfortunately, Thorn found us first. Turned out he was a monster in disguise. A manticore. He almost got Nico, Bianca, and I, but Annabeth, Grover and Thalia surprised him. After a brief fight, he ended up taking Annabeth and… he disappeared." Percy's face grew depressed. "We were saved by the Hunters of Artemis, a group of immortal maidens that follow the goddess. We had to travel across the country to save Annabeth and Artemis from the Titans. We ended up on the top of Mt. Tamalpais. That's were the Titan's palace was, the ruins of Mr. Othrys. We saved Annabeth and Artemis, but… we lost some people."

"Bianca." The voice was so quiet Tony almost didn't hear. "She died helping them get there. And Zoe Nightshade, a Huntress who'd lived longer than some of the gods. They died saving Annabeth and I won't let my sister's death be in vain." The boy turned to Percy. "Like Travis said, I'm with you Percy, regardless of how it ends."

Tony could see Percy's eyes watering and the two cousins went in for a hug. Tony could tell they both needed it. But he suddenly felt like he was intruding on a private moment and looked around at the equally uncomfortable expressions on his teammates' faces. After the two boys broke apart, Percy's eyes suspiciously bright, Tony cleared his throat. "Well, now that we've got the history lesson out of the way, what do we do? I'm assuming that Ms. Chase is being held at this Mt. Othrys by the manticore, right?"

Percy laughed humorlessly. "If only it were that easy. If it were just Thorn, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We'd have already won. It's his bosses that are the problem."

"Your great-uncle?" Natasha guessed.

Percy nodded. "Koios, Titan of the North, Knowledge and Brother of Kronos. He's the only one unaccounted for. Kronos was destroyed, Hyperion, Krios and Bob…" Percy's voice cut out abruptly, and he swallowed thickly. "Iapetus were devoured by Tartarus, and the rest are neutral or still imprisoned. Athena confirmed that it was Koios behind this attack.

Tony really wanted to ask about the Titan named Bob, but judging by Percy's face, it wasn't a good topic to bring up. Besides the boy wasn't done.

"Also, based on the prophecy," Percy continued, "Koios has a boss too." The teen's face grew even darker.

Rachel picked up for him. "Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit."

 **TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPT**

Percy shuddered slightly, memories of Tartarus swirling through his mind before he forced them back.

"Based on the look on all of your faces, that's bad?" Clint asked.

Percy nodded. "About as bad as you can get," he answered. "There are about four ranks of bad guys. There's monsters, they're mostly a nuisance, though there are powerful ones. Then there's the Titans, we've already battled most of them. They took a lot of power to take down. Then there were giants. They couldn't be killed unless a demigod and god worked together. We defeated them last year. But then there are primordials. Gaia, Ouranos, Tartarus, they're the most powerful beings in the world. Take Gaia for example. She was the primordial of Earth, so she literally _was_ the Earth. She was everywhere. We were only able to defeat her because we separated her consciousness from the ground."

"How'd you manage that?" Steve asked.

"A giant bronze dragon and a whole lot of fire," Nico answered.

Rachel picked up the explanation. "Tartarus is the home of all monsters, the deepest part of the Underworld. It's where our biggest enemies are imprisoned. Even the gods refuse to down there. Only three demigods have ever survived it." A silence fell over the room as she and Will looked at Percy and Nico. Percy lowered his head. "And only two of them ever saw Tartarus."

Nico drew in a shaky breath. "They caught me not long after I got in there, but what I saw… I can't forget."

Percy knew he was shaking. "The entire place was designed to kill you. Annabeth and I… we had to survive. If she hadn't been there… I don't know what I might have become." He remembered what he'd done to the goddess Akhlys. "But Tartarus… he… I can't describe him. He just devoured everything around him. It was the only time I ever gave up." Percy heard the echo of Riptide as it hit the ground next to him. He gripped Nico's shoulder.

Silence fell over the group. Percy looked up and saw the sympathy on everyone's eyes. Rachel and Will were looking at him in slight shock. This was the first time he'd opened up about Tartarus with them. He locked eyes with Steve, and he saw the horror in his eyes, horror that a kid had gone through that. Percy knew that Steve was trying to understand his pain, but he couldn't. No one could. No one but Annabeth and Nico. And now Annabeth was gone.

After a few moments, Percy took a deep breath and stood straight. He met everyone's eyes. "Now you know what we're up against. One of the most powerful evil forces in the world. Logically, we'll fail. But I've lost count of how many times I've defied all the odds and reason."

He was met by a few weak grins. Then Steve stepped forward. "So how do we help?"

Percy's face grew into a smirk. "Tonight, nothing. It's late and we all need rest. Tomorrow though, we'll see about getting you guys outfitted properly."

 **TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPT**

Annabeth knew Percy would come for her. It was who he was. He might be an annoying Seaweed Brain, but she knew that nothing would stop him from coming for her. That lovable idiot. She was Koios' leverage against him, allowing the Titan to control him. She had to find a way to destroy his leverage. She had to escape.

She looked around her small cell. Nothing but bare stone walls. She studied her chains. Celestial bronze, secured with cuffs. She'd seen a matching key on Koios' belt when he'd come to gloat. She squinted, studying the keyhole in the dim light. It was small, but it would be enough. She carefully ran her fingers through her hair, trying to avoid making noise, until she found a bobby pin. She'd never been so grateful for the annoying strands of hair that always fell in her face when she tied her hair back. A few months ago, she'd finally caved and bought the pins to secure them.

When Connor had noticed her starting to wear them around camp, he'd immediately offered to teach her basic lockpicking skills. She'd humored him, because you never knew when the skill would come in handy. Now she was praising her foresight.

 _Thanks, Connor,_ she thought as she started working the locking mechanism. _For everything._

A few minutes later her efforts were rewarded with a small _click_. She smiled.


	14. Chapter 14: Demigod Dreams SUCK!

**Chapter 14: Demigod Dreams SUCK!**

Percy was dreaming. Again. One of these days he was seriously going to find Morpheus and threaten him until he swore to lay off the demigod dreams. Percy was done with these prophetic dreams that only served to make him feel depressed.

 _He was standing on the top of Mt. Othrys, staring at the ruins of the Titan stronghold. In the Titan War, the palace had repaired itself, magically restored to its former glory. Now, it was obvious that most of the work was being done by hand. There were small bare shelters for the army of monsters he could see around him, as well as two larger, nicer buildings. Percy's eyes narrowed. One of the buildings was guarded by several Cyclopes_

 _He immediately started running towards it. The only reason a building would need to be guarded was if you wanted to keep something out._

 _Or someone in._

 _Annabeth._

 _Just before he got to the building, the dream shifted. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness and then he could see her. He felt like the weight of the sky had just been lifted off his shoulders as he sighed with relief. Annabeth was chained to the far wall, but she was mostly uninjured, only a few scratches, and alert. Percy drank in the sight of her. He'd been so worried that they'd been hurting her._

 _He moved closer to her and could see her messing with her chains. Percy grinned as he saw her working the lock with a bobby pin._ That's my Wise Girl, _he thought._ At this rate she won't even need rescuing. _She already had one chain loose._

 _His thoughts were cut short as the cell door behind him opened. Percy turned, and his temper immediately flared. Thorn was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. He wanted to uncap Riptide and cut the manticore down, but in the dream, he was helpless. All he could do was watch._

 _Annabeth had immediately hidden the bobby pin, throwing it back in her hair, and she was glaring fiercely at Thorn. "What do you want?" she growled._

" _Just looking for a little entertainment," Thorn replied, his smirk widening._

 _Percy saw the flash of movement behind Thorn and his stomach plummeted. He knew what came next. He spun and faced Annabeth in time to see the spine sticking out of the wall behind her right shoulder. He could see where it had torn her shirt on its way past._

 _Another flash of movement. This time the spine appeared above her right shoulder, and it broke the skin. Percy's own shoulder throbbed as he saw it. He knew what came next. He wanted to turn away, but he was frozen. He couldn't miss the expression on Annabeth's face as her nerves reacted to the poison. She didn't make a sound, but Percy knew her well enough to know when she was in pain._

 _Thorn laughed. "Stubborn, aren't we? Well lucky for you, that's all I'm allowed to do… for now. Lord Koios wants you mostly undamaged, but luckily for me, that poison won't damage anything permanently. Have a nice few hours!" The_ _manticore turned and left, and as soon as the door shut Annabeth let out a little gasp of pain. The noise broke Percy's heart but he couldn't do anything. He was still frozen._ At least he didn't notice the loose cuffs, _he thought gratefully._

 _But a few moments later, the edges of the dream began to dim, and Percy panicked._ Not yet! _he cried._ Please I **need** to see her!

 _But the dream kept dissolving and soon Percy was surrounded by darkness. He stumbled forward as he was suddenly free to move, but tripped in the darkness, and fell to his hands and knees, still distraught over seeing Annabeth's pain. He froze when he heard a low chuckle._

" _Ah, Perseus Jackson," a voice said from the darkness. "I'm glad you know your place."_

 _The darkness shifted, and the terrifying form of Tartarus became visible. "After all," he continued. "It is only appropriate that you kneel before me."_

 _Percy's eyes widened, and he tried to force himself, but once again found himself immobilized. He strained his muscles, trying to overcome the huge weight keeping him down. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He would not kneel before Tartarus!_

 _A surge of power rushed through him, and he slowly forced himself to his feet. He was breathing heavily, and tiring quickly, but at least he was standing. As he faced the Primordial, his knees trembled._

" _Interesting…" Tartarus said, and Percy's skin crawled at the way he said it. It made him feel like a fascinating pet. "You continue to impress me, son of Poseidon. However, I'm afraid that is not the point of your visit." Suddenly, shadowy hands grabbed Percy, wrenching his arms behind his back, and forcing him back to his knees. He glared at Tartarus, but no burst of power came this time, leaving him trapped._

 _Tartarus came closer, and as he did, he seemed to grow bigger. After a few moments, all Percy could see was the void that took the place of the primordial's face. He steeled himself, waiting for something, anything to happen._

" _The point of this visit," Tartarus said smoothly, "is to remind you of who you're dealing with. I am not some weak Titan or Giant. I am Tartarus!"_

 _Percy finally managed to speak. "Really? I never would have guessed." A slap followed his sassy reply, and he gasped at the pain. It felt like he had been hit by Apollo's sun chariot. His head snapped to the side, and his vision blacked out slightly._

" _Know this,_ _ **demigod**_ _," Tartarus spat the word out like it was poison. "The gods can't save you now."_

 _Percy barely had time to register the fist coming at his face before pain exploded in his head._

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Percy bolted upright, gasping for breath as he tried to remember where he was. He looked around, and slowly his brain registered that he was in Cabin Three at Camp Half-Blood. It was just as messy as he'd left it a few weeks ago.

He groaned and swung his knees out of bed, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his eyes. The events of the past day slowly came back to him. Escaping SHIELD, arriving at camp with the Avengers, Connor's funeral, the talk with Travis, the campers and then the brief history lesson. Getting the Avengers settled in rooms at the Big House. He also forced himself to remember the dream. He glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed. 6:00. Not worth trying to fall back asleep.

He rubbed his cheek absently, still feeling the phantom pain of the hard blow. He took a deep breath and stood, walked into the bathroom, and paused for a few seconds to look at his reflection in the mirror. Was it just his imagination, or was there a red mark on his skin?

He shook his head quickly to clear it and got in the shower, willing himself dry when he was finished. He threw on a mostly clean pair of jeans, a camp t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and tennis shoes before heading outside. It was still mostly dark, with just a few hints of color on the eastern horizon. He was tempted to head to the dining pavilion, but instead walked towards the beach. He needed a few minutes to clear his head.

He stopped a few feet short of the surf and sat down on the sand. He closed his eyes and just let the ocean breeze wash over him. He could have gone to the canoe lake, it was closer, but he needed the ocean right now.

He sat calmly for an hour or so before he heard footprints behind him. He opened his eyes and spoke. "You're up early Cap." He turned and sure enough, there was Steve coming up behind him.

"Old habits, I guess. I saw you sitting over here from my room. I got a nice view. Figured I'd join you." he replied. "And bring you some breakfast," he added holding up a bagel. Percy gave him a small grin and turned back to the ocean and the approaching sunrise. Steve sat down next to him and handed the food to him. They sat there for a while until Percy finished.

"I'm surprised you heard me coming," Steve began. "I may not be as good as Nat but I'm no slouch at sneaking up on people."

Percy shrugged. "When you've been hunted by monsters for your entire life, you pick up the skills pretty fast."

They both were silent for a while after that, before Steve asked a question. "You're hunted?" His voice was hesitant and soft, as if he were unsure he should ask.

Percy sighed. "Monsters are drawn to demigods. They can smell us." A small grin crossed his face. "A friend once told me I smell like buttery bread."

Steve snorted. "Buttery bread? Seriously?"

"Apparently," Percy continued. "The more powerful your godly parent, the more powerful your scent. As a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three, I'm considered a delicacy for most monsters."

Steve's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Big Three?"

"The three eldest sons of the Titan Kronos. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades," Percy answered. "Their children tend to be the most powerful." He gestured behind him. "This place is one of only two sanctuaries in the world for kids like me. And if they're not found in time, or aren't careful… well, let's just say that the life expectancy of a demigod isn't very high." His voice grew slightly bitter at the end, but Percy couldn't help it. He'd watched too many kids die for no other reason than who their parent was.

He glanced at Steve as the soldier tried to process what he was saying. Percy understood that it could be a lot to take in. Before he could respond, though, the sun finally appeared above the horizon. It turned the clouds and ocean into amazing shades of orange, red and pink. Percy sighed in contentment.

"So what got you up early?" Steve asked.

Percy winced. "Dream." He shivered slightly, rubbing his hands up-and-down his arms as the breeze turned cold.

"You want to talk about it?" Percy could hear the concern in his voice.

"Not really," he said. But Steve kept staring at him and he finally caved. "It was about Annabeth. Demigods don't get normal dreams. A lot of the times, they're warnings. I saw Thorn hurting her, and I know it was real. Then, Tartarus…" his voice trailed off as memories started to surface but he forced them down.

"I'm sorry Percy. It may not help, but I know what you're going through."

Percy looked at the soldier in confusion.

Now it was Steve's turn to hesitate. "Before WWII, I had a friend, Bucky. We'd been friends for years." A fond smile overcame the man's face. "He enlisted in the army before I did, before I became this." He gestured to his body. "Then I heard that he'd been captured by Hydra."

Now it was Percy's turn to be confused. "Hydra?"

Steve chuckled. "Probably not the kind you're thinking of. Hydra was a secret Nazi organization that operated behind the scenes, experimenting, sabotaging, all that kind of thing. When I heard they had Bucky… I knew I had to get him back." Steve grinned humorlessly. "I ended up disobeying orders, taking on an entire base, freeing war prisoners, causing chaos, doing whatever I could to find my friend. I got him back, but I'll never forget the fear of not knowing whether or not he was dead or alive, in pain, or suffering."

The older man turned to Percy and their eyes met. Percy was shocked to see that his eyes, normally so cheerful and kind, were filled with sadness. Percy figured he looked similar. Steve continued, placing his hand on Percy's shoulder. "I just wanted you to know I'm here if you want to talk."

Percy nodded, not trusting himself to speak around the lump in his throat as he thought of Annabeth. _Hold on Wise Girl,_ he thought desperately. _I'm coming._

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Bruce exited his room and headed downstairs to the living room they'd all been talking in the night before. He figured he should wait for the rest of the team before leaving. He stared out the window at the strawberry fields surrounding them, relishing in the peace and quiet…

…which of course only lasted a few more seconds.

He sighed as Clint and Tony walked into the room, already bickering as usual. Bruce didn't even listen to them, instead focusing on studying the rest of the landscape. From here, he could see an ancient Greek arena, stables, a squat building with smoke pouring out of three chimneys, and some woods in the distance. If he twisted just right he could make out a few smaller buildings in a circle. As he was about to look away, he also glimpsed Steve and Percy walking towards the door. He grinned and sat down on a couch, still ignoring Tony and Clint. Things were about to get interesting.

A few minutes later, the door opened, admitting the super-soldier and the demigod. Steve took one look at the bickering men and groaned. Percy walked over to Bruce and sat down next to him, giving him a quick "Morning" before focusing on the others.

"Stark! Barton!" Steve barked out. "What are you two fighting about this time?"

Bruce watched in amusement as Tony jumped, startled, before answering Steve. He pointed at Clint. "Clint stole my suit!" sounding for all the world like a five-year-old who'd had their favorite toy taken away.

"For the millionth time, I didn't take it!" Clint protested. "I would never do that in a situation like this!"

Steve rubbed his eyes before turning to Bruce and Percy, who were both trying to conceal laughs. "Do you guys know anything about this?" Both shook their heads, still laughing.

Steve sighed. "What about you, Nat?" he asked behind them. Bruce jumped, having not noticed the redhead spy's entrance. Percy, though, he noticed was completely unsurprised. _Figures,_ Bruce thought.

Natasha grinned. "It's under that couch," she admitted, pointing at the one opposite Bruce.

Tony cried out in protest and scrambled to the couch, pulling his suit-case **(A/N: You guys see what I did there?;)** and quickly checked it. He sighed in relief after a moment before shooting a glare at Natasha.

Steve spoke before he could. "Alright, now that that's settled, how about we ask Percy here what the plan is for the day."

Bruce could feel the couch shift as the teen tensed nervously. He grinned at the boy's obvious lack of a plan.

"You said something about getting us outfitted?" He prompted gently, and Percy shot him a grateful look.

"Yeah, but first, we should probably introduce you guys to camp." A conch shell sounded in the distance. Percy grinned. "Perfect timing. Who's ready for some breakfast and a whole lot of uncomfortable stares?

Tony raised his hand. "I'm in!"

Bruce definitely wasn't the only one who rolled his eyes.

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Percy swallowed nervously as he approached the mess hall. It was already a few minutes past 8:00, and he knew all the campers were waiting for him. They all wanted to meet the mortal heroes.

He took a deep breath and walked into the dining pavilion, and instantly all conversation died. Percy hated it when that happened. Granted, this time it was warranted, but Percy didn't feel like his mere presence should inspire such awe.

He turned and waved the team forward. They were all in their uniforms. Steve had left his cowl behind but brought his shield. Tony was pulling his suit-case behind him. Clint had his bow and Percy knew for a fact that Natasha was concealing several sharp objects in her outfit. Percy turned to the high table, giving a nod to Chiron, who had only returned from Olympus a few hours ago.

The centaur stood and addressed the campers. "Heroes!" he called, and everyone's attention turned to him. "These are the mortals you have been told about. May I introduce Steve Rogers," Steve gave the crowd a small wave, "Tony Stark," Tony flashed a peace sign, "Bruce Banner," Bruce smiled, "Natasha Romanoff," She gave a quick nod, face totally impassive, "and Clint Barton." Clint nodded and flashed a grin before matching Nat's poker face.

Percy turned back to the crowd of demigods and saw most were looking on with an air of expectancy. Chiron continued. "As you have all heard, a new threat is coming, and the Avengers are here to help. I expect all of you to extend a generous welcome." A pointed stare was leveled at the Hermes table. "And that means no pranks." A few groans and complaints were heard but the table was definitely quieter than usual. Percy could see Travis staring blankly at the Avengers, and he felt another pang of guilt. No matter what anyone said, he would always feel responsible for the loss of Connor.

Chiron turned to the Avengers. "Feel free to sit and eat, I imagine you'd be most comfortable at Percy's table." Percy nodded and walked towards the Poseidon table, the Avengers following close behind. Once he moved, noise once again enveloped the pavilion, excited campers straining to get a look at the mortal heroes. Percy ignored them and sat down. He demonstrated how to get your food for the mortals and ordered waffles and his customary blue Coke. Then he stood and walked to the sacrificial brazier, scraping a few bites into the flames.

"Poseidon," he said. _Thanks for trusting me to tell them,_ he added in his mind.

He walked back to his table. He saw the Avenger's confused faces and quickly explained before they could ask. "We always sacrifice a bit of our meals to the gods, usually our parents. It's our way to honor them and thank them."

Just as he was about to start eating, Steve stood and started walking to the brazier with his plate. The rest of the team quickly followed him and each copied Percy's actions, though they just said, "To the gods." At that point, the entire camp was staring wide-eyed. They walked calmly back to the table and sat down, totally ignoring the attention.

"So Percy," Tony began, "why do you get a table to yourself?"

Percy blinked. They'd just… oh well, it was a nice gesture. "This is the Poseidon table, but since I'm the only son of Poseidon, it's just me."

"Really?" Bruce asked. "No siblings."

Percy shook his head. "It's complicated. I'll tell you the details later." Then he dove into his waffles. His stomach would not be denied food.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, with only the occasional compliment from the Avengers about the food. Percy had to stop Tony from stealing one of the plates. The inventor complained that he only wanted to know how it worked, but a glare from Percy forced him into submission. The Avengers headed back to the Big House and Percy approached Chiron.

"Yes, Percy?" he asked as Percy got closer.

"I was wondering if you could call a meeting for the counselors. I'm going to need their help."

Chiron nodded. "Good idea. I'll have them meet you in about thirty minutes. Classes will be going by then."

Percy grinned. "Thanks Chiron." He then started walking away.

"Oh, and Percy?" He spun back around when Chiron called him back. The centaur smiled warmly at him. "Make sure you thank them for the sacrifices. It was a kind gesture." He nodded and the centaur returned to his breakfast.

Percy turned and hurried after the Avengers. After all, someone had to keep an eye on them.

 **A/N: Here's chapter 14 folks! I hope you enjoy it. I did my best to make things interesting but it's a little difficult considering not much is happening right now. I hope the dream spruced it up though! Next chapter things will pick up I promise. Thanks to the people who reviewed Chapter 13. Your support is what keeps me going!**

 **Sorry my updating has been so irregular guys! I'm trying to find a steady rhythm but its hard with all of my classes.**

 **Have a fantastic day!**

 **Stiltsrosko out!**


	15. Chapter 15: Demigod Fashion

**Chapter 15 everybody! If I get a good response from this one I'll post another one tomorrow! I hope you guys like it!**

 **Also… 32,250 VIEWS 370 FOLLOWERS 233 FAVORITES and 158 REVIEWS! Gosh guys you're making me blush worse than Hazel *fans myself frantically*.**

 **Here are your Review Responses:**

 _ **Angel of the Honey Bees:**_ _Thanks! I really tried my best to capture the old, tired Chiron that wants what's best for his students. I also appreciate the point about the abrupt emotion flips and I'll try to work on that. Thank you for pointing it out. I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

 _ **WeylandCorp4:**_ _I really appreciate that! You made me feel a lot better about these last few chapters. I'm glad you're enjoying this fic!_

 _ **Keranovi:**_ _I always love reading your reviews! They always boost my self-esteem and get me exited to write the next chapters. Your ideas are also pure gold. I don't think Tony's suit are going to cause that many problems unless a demigod tries it out, but I think they're smart enough not to. I'll think about it though!_

 _ **SweetRose17:**_ _All fantastic questions… that I can't answer right now. I can't spoil anything! The Tartarus thing is a maybe though. It's going to depend on some other crap that happens. Thanks for your review!_

 **Enjoy the chapter my friends!**

 **This one's dedicated to all of my fantastic readers and reviewers! You are why I do this!**

 **Chapter 15: Demigod Fashion**

Percy caught up to the Avengers near the cabins. They'd paused and were staring at the strange assortment of cabins. They hadn't gotten a good look as they were walking to breakfast. Percy sighed. He wished Annabeth were here. She was a lot better at explaining this stuff to new campers. He waved the team forward and walked into the green in the center.

"Ok," he said. "What do you want to know? We've got half-an-hour so get it all out now."

Steve was fastest. "All of those kids were demigods?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah. It's still summer break so almost everyone is still here. Most of us leave during the school year."

Bruce asked next. "These cabins… they're for the campers? And I'm guessing it's based on who their parent is?"

Percy grinned. "Got it in one, doctor." He started pointing to each cabin. "That's Zeus', Hera's, Poseidon's, my cabin, Ares', Apollo's, Hephaestus', Hermes, Hades, Iris', Hypnos', Nemesis'," Percy paused to take a deep breath, then continued, "Nike's, Hebe's, Tyche's, Hecate's, Dionysus', Aphrodite, Artemis', Athena's, and Demeter's." He finished and gasped. That had been a lot easier when there were only twelve to name.

"There's also another circle under construction over there. After the first Titan War, we decided that we needed to give more respect to the lesser-known gods. Before, all their children were just crammed into the Hermes cabin."

Tony cut in this time. "I feel like that little girl shouldn't be playing with the fire like that."

Percy turned to the hearth in the center of the cabins, just a few feet behind him. Sure enough, the goddess Hestia was sitting next to the flames, tending them. Percy fell to his knee and bowed his head. "Lady Hestia."

She inclined her head towards him. "Perseus. I see you've returned home."

After a moment of shocked silence followed. Percy stood and faced the Avengers. "This is the Lady Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home, and my favorite aunt." Percy sniggered at the others' reactions. Hestia couldn't have looked more than eight years old, similar to how he first saw her outside Ms. Castellan's home in Connecticut. It was a little hard to believe that she was a goddess of unimaginable power.

Steve copied Percy and sank to one knee, and the others followed suit. Percy could see the approval in the goddess' eyes as she observed them. After a moment she spoke. "Rise, Avengers."

The team stood, still looking at her in awe. Hestia continued. "I wanted to thank you all for your actions earlier. The sacrifices you offered were greatly appreciated. Though I hope you don't follow Percy's example on everything." She gave him a pointed look. "He's not the most respectful demigod."

There were several chuckles from the Avengers and Percy pouted slightly. He wanted to argue, but he couldn't. There just wasn't a good way to respond to that.

Steve stepped forward. "You're welcome, ma'am. And thank you for not… um… for allowing us to be here, and to help."

Hestia nodded. "My brother may not approve, but the rest of us managed to convince him that this was for the best." Percy sighed in relief. But he was still going to avoid air travel for a bit.

"Your brother," Tony said. "Zeus?"

Hestia nodded. "He may be a bit stubborn, but he was able to see reason."

"For once," Percy muttered under his breath, earning a disapproving look from Hestia and a rumble of thunder from the sky.

Hestia looked back at the mortals. "One other thing, mortals." The team grew slightly nervous at her serious tone, but then she grinned. "Enjoy your knew outfits." Then she left, bursting into flame that warmed and comforted all of them.

Percy grinned. "Yep, definitely still my favorite. Not that it's much of a competition. The other two either lecture me on the benefits of cereal or steal my memories and kidnap me. But still." He started walking towards the Big House. He could see more campers coming and he didn't want to start another staring fest. Besides, if breakfast was over, the counselors would be heading over soon.

"Come on guys."

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Tony was sitting in the back of the rec room in the Big House. He had his suit-case in his lap and was fiddling with it while watching the discussion around the ping-pong table. Percy was standing, with Cap on one side and the centaur (in wheelchair form) on the other. He idly listened to the conversation.

Percy was explaining his idea. "Guys, the prophecy has already made this quest clear. Without the Avengers, we will fail."

A silence enveloped the room, two dozen teens completely still. After a few moments the silence was broken by a buff, dark-haired girl Percy had addressed as Clarisse. "Prissy, they're mortals. What can they do that we can't?"

Nico cut in as well. "We can't just send you in there alone Perce."

Tony could see Percy's exhaustion as he rubbed his face. "Just think about it. Each of these guys are extremely skilled, and I should know." Tony winced. He preferred not to remember the fact that they were the ones that brought Percy in to SHIELD. Sure they patched things up but still. "Also, as mortals, they have a unique advantage. When we go out into the mortal world, we are immediately attacked by monsters, and it's almost impossible to hide our presence. They can infiltrate much better than we could and be completely overlooked by monsters. Their weapons will be next to useless on them. Also, are you guys forgetting that it was Rachel, a mortal, that led us through the Labyrinth? She hit Kronos in the eye with a plastic hairbrush!" Tony's eyebrows shot up. He'd have to get that story sometime.

Most of the demigods had thoughtful expressions on their faces, as if they were considering Percy's logic. Others were still uncertain.

Travis stepped forward. Percy had introduced the team to the son of Hermes earlier. Tony grimaced as once again, he saw the bandages around his neck. It was a brutal reminder of the difficulties of life as a demigod. "You really think this could work, Percy?"

The son of Poseidon turned to Steve, and looked at the rest of the team, locking eyes with Tony. A small grin appeared on his face, as he turned back to Travis. "Hey, Annabeth's not the only one who knows how to make a plan."

Travis nodded, then turned to the rest of the teens. "Then I don't see what else we have to talk about." He faced Percy again. "What do you need?"

"Their usual weapons won't be as effective as ours. If the Athena and Hephaestus cabins could help with that it would be great." Two of the teens, Malcolm and Nyssa, Tony remembered, nodded. "Everyone else, I need you to prep your cabins, just in case. We don't know how this is going to play out. If something goes wrong…" Percy didn't need to finish. Tony could see the determination on everyone's faces. They were prepared to defend their home.

Chiron spoke. "I agree with Percy. We need to be prepared for anything. This meeting is adjourned."

Most of the demigods stood and left, leaving Percy, Chiron, Malcolm, Nyssa, and the Avengers alone. Percy sat down with a sigh, rubbing his face and letting some of the nerves he was feeling poke through. Tony looked at the teen with respect. He could see the pressure and responsibility on the kid's shoulders. He felt that it was his job to protect everyone, and he'd do anything to keep them from getting hurt. _That's why Chiron asked you what he did,_ a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. _Question is, if it comes to it, would you leave him behind?_

Tony shook his head and focused on Percy. It wasn't going to come to that, he told himself. Everything's going to work out fine. There's always a way out. Tony watched as Percy gestured vaguely in the team's direction. "They're all yours guys."

Tony wasn't sure if he liked the wolfish grins Nyssa and Malcolm were giving him.

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Clint walked behind the teenagers as they all headed towards the camp's forges. His bow was strung over his back and looked relaxed. He was also ignoring the curious glances sent their way. Clint carefully studying the teens as they passed. Most were armed with swords and/or daggers, wearing them openly with t-shirts and jeans. There was also the occasional shield. It was an interesting fashion choice.

They passed a Greek-style arena and he could see at least thirty kids sparring inside, either with weapons or hand-to-hand. Most seemed at least competent with weapons, while a few were scary good. In the distance, he could also make out an archery range. He'd have to make some time to get over there, show those kids a thing or two.

As they approached the forges, he gradually became aware of the loud banging. As they walked inside, he wasn't surprised to see that all of the blacksmiths were kids. The only adults in this camp seemed to be the four thousand-year-old centaur and a wine god. They were all entirely focused on their work, and he could see the shapes of swords, spears, and arrowheads all glowing from the heat. The finished weapons were set near the entrance, and Clint was amazed by the skill of these kids. Nyssa turned to face the team.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood's forges. They're all in my cabin," she said.

"Let me guess," Tony cut in, pulling his suit-case behind him. "Hephaestus? God of fire and blacksmiths?"

Steve looked at Tony in confusion as Nyssa nodded. "How on earth did you know that?"

Tony smirked. "Studied up on Greek mythology on our way to meet Percy. Honestly, am I the only one who ever does the reading?"

Clint rolled his eyes and walked over to the finished pile. He picked up a quiver of arrows and removed one. Looking closely at the point, he noticed that it wasn't made of steel, but bronze. "What is this metal?" he asked, drawing the others' attention.

"Celestial bronze," Percy answered. "Mined straight from Mt. Olympus. Its one of only three metals in the world that will hurt monsters."

"And that's why we're here?" Natasha asked. "Our usual weapons won't hurt monsters?"

Malcolm nodded. "Exactly. We'll do our best to make sure your weapons fit your fighting style. Any of you have experience with weapons?"

Clint raised his hand, as did Nat. Steve gave a little so-so wave while Tony and Bruce shook their heads.

Malcolm studied Clint, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. "Arrows, obviously, a few knives for sure. See if Frank left some specialty arrows behind. Hydra and explosive specifically." Before Clint could respond the teen had moved on to Natasha. "A dagger, maybe a short sword, and bullets for pistols." Then he finally turned to Steve and his eyes lit up. "Ahh, the shield. If we could add a sharpened rim to it, it could really do some damage. And a dagger or two for emergencies." He finally turned back to Nyssa. "You get all that?"

She finished writing on a little pad of paper and nodded. Malcolm turned back to them, his eyes shining in amusement. "How'd I do?" Clint could see Percy stifling his laughter in the background.

"Pretty good. You have us all pretty pegged." Clint said. "How'd you know?"

Malcolm gave a modest shrug. "It's kind of my thing."

Percy interrupted. "Malcolm here is Annabeth's half-brother, a son of Athena, goddess of wisdom. They're all pretty smart."

Clint wasn't even fazed anymore. At this point, they could probably tell him that Percy was a god and he'd believe them.

Malcolm then turned to Bruce and Tony. "If you guys don't have weapons, what do you use?"

Tony lifted his suit-case and showed it to the demigods. "This baby's all I need." Nyssa and Malcolm both studied the suit with fascination.

Bruce blushed slightly. "When I get angry or threatened I become a giant, green, indestructible raging monster called the Hulk. I don't need weapons." The three demigods looked at the kindly doctor in surprise but didn't question him.

"I don't know how celestial bronze will affect you then. I don't suppose we could test it?"

All of the Avengers shook their heads definitively. They'd prefer to not antagonize a camp full of well-armed demigods by unleashing the Hulk right now.

"Well," Malcolm continued, "then my best advice is to try to avoid monsters with weapons. But you'll definitely give some Cyclopes a run for their money."

Malcolm joined Clint over by the weapons rack. He pulled out a bronze knife and tossed it to Natasha. "See how that feels." A dagger was soon tossed to Clint. He caught it and studied it, giving it a few experimental swipes before nodding in satisfaction. This'll do just fine. He pulled a regular knife out of his boot and replaced it with the bronze one. Once he was satisfied that it fit, he looked up to see a quiver being held out to him. There were three compartments inside. The ten-year-old boy who'd handed it to him quickly explained.

"Right side normal, left hydra, middle explosive."

Clint's eyebrows furrowed. "What's a hydra arrow?"

"Grappling," the kid explained. "If you shoot it, the tip will split into a dozen different cords that secure themselves to anything nearby. Then, rungs will appear on the cord. You can test it on the lava wall later.

Clint's eyes widened. _Lava wall?_ Before he could ask the kid, he'd already scampered back to one of the forges. "Thanks Felix!" Nyssa called after him. He shook his head and turned back to his team. Steve had reluctantly handed his shield to another few campers and they were measuring it and discussing how to attach the bronze rim, so it would be effective against monsters. The Captain was watching them carefully, making sure they weren't going to mess it up. Natasha was expertly tossing her new knives around, testing their balance and concealing them in various places. She'd handed one of her handguns to a camper and told him the size of bullet it used. Bruce was just talking to Percy and Nyssa

It took Clint a moment to realize that Tony and Malcolm had disappeared. He walked outside in time to see Tony activate his Iron Man suit and put it on, much to the awe of the passing teens. By the time Tony had demonstrated its flight capabilities, a small crowd had gathered.

"Show-off!" Clint called, knowing that Tony loved the attention. The suit landed, and the visor flipped up, revealing Tony's glare.

"Not my fault my stuff's cooler than yours," he replied.

Malcolm rushed up to Tony with Nyssa, who'd exited the forges with the other Avengers and Percy. "Amazing!" he said and started bombarding the billionaire with questions about the suit's speed, strength, maneuverability, power source (Tony was very proud to show them his chest arc reactor), and finally, weapons. Once Tony had explained about how his repulsors worked, the son of Athena nodded, clearly pleased. "I'd have to see it to be sure, but I'm pretty sure that should be good enough to take care of monsters. It could probably use some reinforcement though. It'll help stop claws and teeth at least."

Clint could see Tony's apprehension about letting teenagers mess with his suit, but a stern look from Steve had his walking back into the forges. A few minutes later, the crowd had dispersed, and Clint was sitting with Percy, Steve, and Nat on the grass outside, enjoying the weather. He passed the time studying his new arrows and memorizing their placement in the quiver.

"So?" Steve asked Percy. "Single child?"

Clint watched Percy's face form a slight grimace. "Yeah. Honestly, I wasn't even supposed to be born. I was a mistake and now, I'm a pawn."

Clint could see the anger on Steve's face. Because the soldier was from the 1940's, he'd been shocked by all the changes to the world. Abortion, gay-marriage, gun-control, and civil rights had all shocked Steve once he reentered the 21st Century. The idea that children could be considered tools was completely foreign to him. Clint, however, wasn't as shocked. "I'm assuming it's the same way with most of these kids?" he asked.

Percy nodded sadly. "The gods…" Percy sighed, "they're not the greatest parents. They've lived for so long that we're almost insignificant. Most of us never even meet our godly parent. There's just too many of us. It caused a lot of bitterness a few years back, and we nearly lost the Second Titan War because of it."

"What about you?" Natasha asked.

"Chiron got a prophecy during WWII. It said that when a demigod child of Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades turned sixteen, a choice would have to be made. A hero would make a choice, save Olympus or destroy it. The gods weren't willing to put such a big decision in the hands of a demigod, so Zeus, Hades, and my father swore not to have any more children. That's why Nico and Bianca were put in that hotel. Hades was hiding them, so Zeus wouldn't kill them."

"But you're here," Steve said, a sad look on his face as he looked at the teen.

"My mother caught Poseidon's eye. I guess he just couldn't resist. He did care about her though, and he's been good to me. Better than most of the gods are to their kids, anyway. And as I got closer to sixteen, it became clear that I was the demigod the prophecy referred to.

"And you chose to save the gods that basically ignored you and cursed you to be chased by monsters?" Clint asked, slightly disbelieving.

"It wasn't just my choice, but yeah." Then Percy met his eyes, and Clint could see the sadness and exhaustion he was trying to conceal. "But if there's one thing I've learned in the past six years, its that you don't turn your back on family. I chose to fight for my father because the alternative was worse."

The silence that followed was heavy and oppressive, and Steve quickly started up another conversation, asking about the different buildings he could see across the camp. Clint listened with half an ear as he thought about what Percy had told them. _What would I have done in that situation?_ he thought. _Fought for or against a family that used me as a pawn_. If there was one thing Clint hated, it was being used. It was one of the reasons he'd been so desperate to get revenge on Loki. The god had completely subjugated him to his will, turned him into a tool. He scowled just thinking about it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nat looking at him, but he ignored her. Clint looked at Percy instead, saw the grin on his face, while at the same time, the weariness. This kid carried a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Clint had seen the way the other kids looked at him. The son of Poseidon was their rock, their leader. He kept them all together and inspired them. And Clint could also see how much Percy cared for them. He'd seen how desperate the boy was to protect Annabeth when they'd fought, and how lost he looked at times. Half-god or not, he was still a boy, and Clint's heart ached for him. The father in him saw his own children in the faces of the demigods walking by and wanted to protect them all. He couldn't imagine something like this happening to his kids.

After another hour or so of idle chit-chat, they were finally called back inside the forges. Noon had come and gone in that time. Percy had gotten them a little lunch so they wouldn't have to face the staring crowds of demigods.

Steve's shield was now reinforced with bronze, completely covering the blue and red parts of the design and adding a sharp edge. Clint watched as Steve hefted it slightly before a satisfied look came over his face and he placed it on his back. Bruce and Tony were looking proudly at the Iron Man suit. Most of the red plates had been replaced by celestial bronze, basically inverting the color scheme so that it was now bronze with red accents. Clint had to admit that he liked the new look.

Tony turned as they walked in the door. "Screw Fury, I'm moving in here. These kids are great!" he said with enthusiasm.

Percy laughed. "I figured you guys would get along. You too, Bruce?" he asked.

The doctor chuckled. "They're as smart as or smarter than I was at their age, and that's saying something."

Everyone laughed at that. Percy then turned to Malcolm. "So we all set?"

The demigod nodded. "Just about. Unless you guys want some armor. I'm sure we could find some for you."

Clint and Nat shook their heads. Their fighting styles relied on speed and agility. Armor would just slow them down. Steve looked like he was considering it. "Show me what you have?" he asked.

The Avengers were led to another room, this one full of armor. Clint could see breastplates, helmets, braces, shin guards, and others. Steve took one look and shook his head. "I'll go with what I have."

Malcolm nodded. "Figured you'd say that. Perce, you should probably get them over to the archery range or the arena. They could probably use some practice to get used to them. And if you think they're up for it, we could do a small game of Capture the Flag tonight."

Percy nodded thoughtfully and gestured to the Avengers to follow him out the door. Then, something occurred to Clint. "What about you?" he asked Percy.

All he got was a confused look from the teen. "What about me?"

"Where's your weapon?" Clint clarified. "We saw you with that sword earlier, but I'm still confused as to where it came from."

Percy grinned and put his hand in his pocket and pulled out… a pen. A simple, ballpoint, capped pen. "This is my weapon."

Clint's only comfort was that the rest of the team looked as confused as he did. "Percy, that is a pen." Tony said, in a tone that suggested he was talking to a two-year-old. Percy rolled his eyes and removed the pen's cap and it suddenly expanded into the sword they'd seen the day before.

"This is Anaklusmos, or Riptide," Percy said. "I've had it since I was twelve when my father had Chiron give it to me before my first quest. It's the only sword I ever use."

Percy recapped the sword and put it back in his pocket. "So, who wants to go throw sharp objects?"


	16. Chapter 16: Playing with New Toys!

**Hey guys! I know I promised this on Sunday but I hope you still like the chapter. It's not my favorite but it'll do the job.**

 **Here are our review responses:**

 _ **Raven:**_ **There's a little Clarisse in this chapter I promise!**

 _ **jroskelleyxc:**_ **Thanks for your review! I know for a fact that you're impatient.**

 ** _#1roommate_ : Thank you so much for your review. I hope this chapter picks up a little but I promise we'll get some more action soon.**

 _ **Keranovi:**_ **Thank you so much. I really appreciated your comment and how you defended me and my story. I always love reading your reviews because they are thoughtful and helpful. As for your first review, I'm glad you appreciate my one-liners. They are really fun to write and I try to keep them in character for everyone. I probably won't bring Thor in. I'm trying to make this a demigod/mortal thing. Thor would throw my stuff off. I might add him in as a cameo later. As for the Seven, maybe Frank and Hazel, but otherwise no, and we will get at least a little Camp Jupiter action.**

 _ **I'mapyromaniac:**_ **I'm not going to lie that when I initially read that comment I was hurt. It's the first really hater comment that I've gotten. I appreciate your comment and accept the apology. _StollsStealStuff_ you are forgiven. If I held a grudge for something like this the world would be a darker place. Just please refrain from making comments like that to authors. A lot of us put a lot of work into these fics. Thank you for reading it and your apology.**

 _ **SweetRose17:** _**Thank you for your compliment. I agree about Clint. I just really wanted to give him a moment to relate to these kids.**

 _ **WeylandCorp4**_ **: Totally agree about the older-demigod thing. It's super depressing when you think about the fact that very few demigods make it to adulthood. I'm just trying to make sure the Avengers understand that.**

 ** _RubyRach11:_ Read on and see ;)**

 **Chapter 16: Playing with New Toys!**

As Percy was walking towards the archery range, a black shadow fell across him. _Yo, boss!_ he heard in his mind. _Did you bring me any donuts?_

Percy grinned as he looked up, seeing the black pegasus fly over him. "Not this time Blackjack. I've been a bit busy." His heart soared as he watched his friend fly. Ever since the Giant War, the pegasus had been recovering in the hands of Chiron. He hadn't even seen him fly since the final battle at Camp Half-Blood.

 _You always say that!_ Blackjack complained. He landed and trotted to a stop a few yards away and Percy walked over, stroking his neck.

"Yeah well, I'm always in life-or-death situations."

 _So, boss, who're the mortals?_ Blackjack's question reminded Percy that the Avengers were still behind them. He turned and saw them all looking at the pegasus in awe. He'd already told Clint, Nat, and Steve about pegasi, but seeing is believing.

"They're friends. Guys, this is Blackjack. He's a good friend of mine, saved my life multiple times."

Steve walked forward slowly, and Blackjack cocked his head curiously. Everyone jumped when he suddenly trotted over to him and shoved his muzzle into his face. Steve just froze and let Blackjack conduct his investigation. The pegasus then backed away and looked at Percy, bobbing his head. _I like this one!_ Percy chuckled. "Figured you would."

"Percy… are you… talking to Blackjack?" Bruce asked. Steve was still recovering from Blackjack's inspection as the pegasus moved on to Tony. Percy sniggered.

"Poseidon created horses. Being his son, I can speak to horses, zebras, pegasi, etc. Blackjack just sort of adopted me." He turned back to the pegasus. Blackjack was done studying all of the Avengers and turned back to him. _Yo boss! Any quests coming up? Chiron's finally cleared me for long-distance flight!_

Percy studied the Pegasus' side where Orion's arrow had hit him. He ran his hand through the short hair, wincing at the pronounced scar hidden beneath. If Reyna hadn't acted as fast as she did… Percy shook his head. He wasn't going to think about it. Blackjack was alive and okay. That was all that mattered.

"Maybe, bud," he answered. "I don't want to push you too hard."

Blackjack neighed in protest but didn't argue. He flew off and Percy smiled. Maybe he would take Blackjack along on this one. It would keep Zeus from blasting him out of the sky at least. Mrs. O'Leary might be a little faster…

"Umm, Percy?" Tony interrupted his thoughts. "Target range? Arena?"

Percy shook his head to clear his thoughts and nodded to Tony. He continued to the archery range where, as luck would have it, Chiron was just finishing advanced archery class with the Apollo cabin.

He led the Avengers to the emptier area and gestured at the targets.

"Try not to maim anyone. You'll lose dessert privileges." Percy winked.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Steve could see Clint's face relax as he pulled his bow into his hand. He grinned and shifted his shield into position, preparing to throw it. Nat had a knife in one hand, gun in the other. Tony was suited up. Percy…

Steve searched for the teen and finally found him leaning on a tree ten yards away. "Not going to join us?" Steve called.

Percy grinned. "I've been banned from archery. I'm kind of hopeless. Some Apollo kids have agreed to help out though." Steve didn't like the mischievous grin that Percy wore. "Figured it would make things interesting."

Several campers were walking over. Steve recognized Will from the night before approaching with two other demigods.

"Hey guys," the blonde demigod called. "This is Austin, Kayla, and Cassia, also Apollo kids. They're some of the best archers in camp." Steve studied the new demigods. Austin barely looked thirteen and had chocolate skin, brown eyes and dark hair with cornrows. Kayla looked about the same age with blue eyes and red hair, though it had been dyed bright green in places. Cassia was short, had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes and looked to be about fifteen. All three carried bows and wore quivers with an air of confidence that told Steve they knew what they were doing.

"Where's your bow?" Tony asked Will.

The teen shrugged. "I'm decent, but I've always been better at healing. Apollo's the god of archery, healing, the sun, prophecy, music, poetry, etc. His kids can have a wide variety of skills."

Steve caught Clint eyeing the new demigods competitively. He groaned. Things were about to get interesting alright. Before anything could happen, he turned towards one of the older targets. He threw his shield and watched as it ricocheted of the wood, damaging it badly, and tracked its flight. The extra weight changed it's trajectory slightly, but Steve could adjust easily.

After he'd gotten used to his shield's new weight (and demolished several targets) he allowed Nat to practice throwing her daggers and her guns. Tony tested his repulsors and reduced several targets to charred ash.

Then Clint stepped up. He shot three arrows in rapid succession. All of them slammed into targets' bullseyes. The SHIELD agent looked expectantly at the Apollo campers. _Here we go._

Each stepped up to the mark. Austin shot first. His arrow split Clint's and broke through the back of the target. Kayla shot two arrows at the same time. Both hit the bulls-eye on opposites of Clint's arrow. Cassia locked eyes with Clint, fired three arrows, and each split the other less than a second apart. She smirked at him. Steve's eyes widened at the skill the teens displayed. He knew that Clint had been holding back, but now it was "no holds barred".

Some campers had stopped to watch after the first few shots. Percy beckoned a few forward and they raced to move the intact targets farther back. Once they'd gotten another 100 yards away, Cassia called for them to stop. Then she shot an arrow in a high arc, and everyone traced its flight path as it soared high into the sky. When it finally hit the target, it was embedded in the top of another arrow that she had just shot. Kayla turned and did a backbend, resting her head on the ground before she shot. Austin performed a flip and shot while in midair. Clint shot an arrow in an arc like Cassia had, but then used another arrow to change its course so that it pierced the bulls-eye.

This continued on for at least thirty minutes. It soon became obvious that Clint and Cassia were the better archers. The two kept shooting for nearly an hour and the crowd had grown to the point where Steve was positive that the entire camp was watching. He could see Travis and another camper moving through the mass of people taking bets. Chiron finally intervened when they had progressed to no-look shooting at pinecones that campers were chucking into the air from three hundred yards away.

"Alright you two. I think you've proven that you're both exceptional archers. Now can we please stop so certain campers can continue with their classes." The old centaur gave a pointed look to the crowd and it dispersed quickly.

Cassia came up with her siblings. She extended her hand and Clint quickly shook it. "Nice shooting," he said.

The girl grinned. "You too. But next time you're in camp, we're going to figure out who's the best. That cool with you?"

Clint grinned. "I'll be sure to clear my calendar."

The three demigods walked away, and Steve sighed in relief. He'd thought they'd never stop. "Thanks, Chiron," he said as the centaur joined them.

"Think nothing of it Captain," Chiron replied, giving Steve a warm smile. "Though that little competition did raise the camp's opinions of you five considerably. Some weren't entirely sure of your abilities."

"That was my plan all along," Percy said triumphantly.

Natasha snorted. "Bull! You just wanted to see who'd win!"

Before Percy could respond Chiron cut in. "Percy, weren't you going to take them to the arena next? I believe Clarisse would appreciate a turn challenging the Avengers. Besides, I think you've exhausted your options here, and I need to get the cleaning harpies working on new targets."

Steve winced as he looked at the dozen or so destroyed targets that were either smoking or covered in dents and arrows. "Yeah sorry about that," he said bashfully.

"It's quite alright Captain. It's a regular chore around here, especially when the Hunters come to camp."

Percy laughed at that, before beckoning for the others to follow him. "Come on. I haven't practiced in a while and I need to put Clarisse in her place."

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

"Come on!" Annabeth whispered as she wiggled her makeshift lockpick. "Just unlock already!"

She'd finally recovered from the poison's painful effects an hour ago. Sweat was still dripping off her face. She found the locking mechanism and almost had it before a wave of pain shot out of her shoulder. Her right hand flinched. She groaned in frustration.

She rested her head against the back wall and took several deep breaths. If she didn't relax her muscles she'd never get the lock undone. She focused on slowing her breathing. Gradually she felt her heart rate slow and her muscles stopped trembling. She nearly fell asleep when another shot of pain raced through her. The poison's effects had lasted the entire morning, by her estimations. She hadn't been able to sleep with the pain.

Annabeth shuddered as she remembered the agony of the last few hours. She'd had worse, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience. The poison had traveled through her body rapidly, setting her nerves on fire. If that was just a scratch, she didn't want to know how much pain Travis and Connor had been in when…

She sighed. Too many lost. She closed her eyes and finally stopped fighting off the exhaustion that had been plaguing her. She didn't care about dreams. She just needed rest.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Percy smiled cheekily as he parried his opponent's sword. James growled back in frustration as they disengaged. The nineteen-year-old son of Ares was one of the more skilled swordsmen in camp, but Percy was still the best. He took advantage of the demigod's temper and allowed the teen to rush him before locking Riptide at the base of James' blade and twisting it. The sword clattered to the ground and Percy whipped Riptide up to James' throat, panting slightly. The fight had lasted several minutes, and wearing full armor was always slightly tiring.

He heard some applause coming from behind him and he turned. He gave a mock bow before grinning at the Avengers. He turned back to James and shook his hand, giving him a small nod before walking back to the sidelines. He grabbed the cup of water Bruce handed him and dumped it over his head, enjoying the energy that raced through his body as he did. He turned back to the team.

"Alright so who wants to go…"

"PRISSY!" Clarisse's voice echoed across the arena and Percy grinned. He turned and faced the daughter of Ares as the stalked towards him with her spear, Maimer/Lamer. She was in full battle armor.

"Nice to see you too, Clarisse" he said politely. "Looking for a rematch from last week?" Percy's grin widened when he saw her face go slightly pink. He'd beaten her soundly in front of the entire Ares cabin and he knew Travis and Connor had teased her for it repeatedly, from a safe distance.

"Not today," she said. She then turned to Steve. "What about you, soldier? Care to have a go?"

Percy watched as Steve's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Why not?"

The two walked out into the middle of the now-empty arena. It had cleared the second the other practicing campers had realized Clarisse was challenging someone. They faced each other, each bringing their weapons into position, Steve with his shield and Clarisse with her spear. Percy stepped forward. "Alright, fight will continue until one person is defeated. Clarisse remember your spear won't pierce him. Steve, your shield can hurt demigods now. Just something to keep in mind. Both combatants ready?" Both of them gave him a nod. "Then… Fight!"

Percy quickly backed up as Clarisse barreled forward immediately, as he knew she would. She thrust her shield at Steve's right thigh but was met with empty air as he danced aside. He retaliated with a right cross, but Clarisse managed to duck out of the way, sweeping the soldier's legs out from under him. He rolled away from her next thrust, coming to his feet. He drew his new dagger and quickly parried Clarisse's next jab. His arm went numb and he was forced to drop it. "Electric?" he asked.

Clarisse grinned smugly. "Yeah." She thrust her spear at his face, but he used his shield to deflect it, causing her to lose her balance when she met no resistance. He took the opportunity to drive his shield into her chest to send her stumbling away from him and onto her back. He jumped to forward and grabbed Maimer, quickly throwing it aside along with his shield.

Clarisse rose and was met with Steve in a boxing stance. She mirrored him, and both circled each other. After a few experimental jabs, Steve went on the offensive, and threw three quick jabs at her face. She blocked all of them and managed to land a kick in his stomach. Steve quickly retreated, and she followed.

More punches and kicks followed, but neither of them could land more than a few glancing blows. After nearly five minutes, Steve managed to grasp Clarisse's forearm. Percy knew what was going to happen a second before it did. Before she could yank her arm away, Steve pivoted and judo-flipped Clarisse into the dirt behind him. A large _Clang!_ echoed as her armor slammed against the ground. Percy winced in sympathy. Annabeth had done the same thing to him last year. Steve quickly straddled Clarisse and placed his arm at her throat. "Yield?" he asked.

Clarisse nodded. "I yield."

Steve quickly stood and extended his arm to help her up. The watching campers erupted into applause. Percy joined them, glad that Steve had been able to hold his own. If he'd lost… it wouldn't have looked good.

As Steve walked back over Percy could hear the crowd whispering and looking at him with surprise. Clarisse was one of the camp's best hand-to-hand fighters, and the fact that Steve had taken her down had said a lot about the mortals' skill. That combined with the shoot-off from earlier had boosted the campers' confidence at the Avengers' abilities to face monsters.

Percy grinned. Koios wasn't going to know what hit him.

 **A/N: Alright everyone I need your opinions. Do you think we should have:**

 **A) Full Capture the Flag w/ Avengers divided between the teams  
B) Mini C the F w/ Percy+Avengers vs some other demigods (not entire camp)  
C) Monster training in the woods.  
D) Original Ideas**

 **Let me know what you guys think in your reviews! I want this next chapter to be good so don't hate me if I don't post for a little while. Also, who like how I brought back Blackjack? That pegasus is a treasure.**

 **Peace out!  
Stiltsrosko**


	17. Chapter 17: Civil War Preview

**A/N: Guess who's back! Sorry about waiting so long to update, I just really wanted this chapter to be great! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I loved reading them and your feedback made this chapter a reality. I hope I did alright. Not going to lie, it was a tough one to write. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Review Responses:**

Wolfmoon713: **I'm sorry but our favorite webslinger will probably not be making an appearance, though I agree that him and Percy would be best buds. I'm trying to focus on the OG Avengers. Sorry if that disappoints you.**

 **That's the only real question there was so on with the story! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 17: Civil War Preview**

Percy grunted as he stretched his arm around his back. He… couldn't get…. that strap! After a few minutes of futile struggling, he let his arms flop to his side, letting his breastplate hang loose. He glared at the armored campers a few meters away who were sniggering slightly as they watched him struggle.

He jumped when he heard a voice behind him. "Need a hand?" Percy spun and saw Steve standing behind him.

Percy scratched the back of his neck. "If you wouldn't mind?" he said sheepishly. He could feel his face warming in embarrassment as he turned, allowing the super-soldier to reach the strap that had been causing him trouble. After a few seconds of fumbling, Steve managed to tighten the strap, so Percy's armor actually fit him. While he worked, Percy looked at the rapidly darkening sky with a full moon. It was a good night for capture the flag.

Percy turned back to Steve. "Thanks," he grinned, "you're a lifesaver."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Six years of experience and you can't get your own armor on," he said in a teasing voice.

Percy's grinned slipped off his face as his heart dropped. "Yeah. Annabeth usually helps me with…"

Steve's face grew sad. "Oh. Sorry about that."

Percy took a deep breath. "It's alright." His face hardened. "She's not gone. We'll get her back." He turned and started walking towards the crowd of armored demigods before turning his head back slightly. "Whatever it takes."

He was so focused on Chiron's arrival that he missed Steve's muttered response. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Campers!" Chiron called, and the conversations slowly died as the attention moved to the elderly centaur. "Thank you for participating in this last-minute capture-the-flag. Though there are fewer of you, the rules remain the same. The woods are all free-game, the creek is the boundary. On the red team, the Poseidon, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hecate, Iris, Hebe, and Nemesis cabins will be joined by Captain Rogers and Mr. Barton. On the blue team, the Demeter, Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Hades, Hypnos, Nike, and Tyche cabins will be joined by Mr. Stark and Ms. Romanoff. The Apollo cabin and Dr. Banner will be standing by on medical and I will act as referee. No guards within 10 feet of the flag and it must be visible. Red team take the north forest, blue team takes the south. Good luck heroes!"

Percy nodded. Seemed fair. The numbers were pretty evenly distributed. The Ares/Athena/Hades combination was going to be brutal. Though if the Apollo cabin was sitting out and they had Barton…

Percy felt a slight nudge and turned to see Steve and Clint standing next to him. "So," Cap asked, "who calls the shots on these things?"

Percy shrugged. "Well, Athena's cabin is on the other team and they're the master strategists. So I guess, me?" Percy winced. This was Annabeth's job. She was the one that came up with the detailed strategy. He sighed and grabbed the red flag and started marching of to the north words. His team followed him, and they headed towards Zeus' Fist. He started mulling things over in his head. Once they reached the rocks he climbed up and faced his team. "Alright, listen up. I'm only going to say this once. Hermes and Hebe are on flag defense. Dionysus, Iris, and Nemesis are our attack team." Hopefully they could overwhelm their defenses with numbers if not skill. "Aphrodite…" he turned to them and saw them ready to fight. Piper'd really turned the cabin around. "I want you guys on border patrol. Try to keep anyone from coming through. Hecate cabin- I want you guys evenly distributed across the teams. Lou Ellen, you're in charge of the assignments." The Hecate counselor nodded her approval. "Trip 'em up, keep them confused with the Mist. If you're with the attacking team, try to keep yourselves concealed as long as possible. Defense team: watch out for Nico. Will may be limiting his shadow travel but we all know that won't stop him." That drew a few chuckles from the crowd. "Steve and Clint…"

He turned to the mortals. "You guys prefer offense of defense?" he asked curiously.

Steve shrugged. "I usually do whatever's necessary."

"I specialize in stealth," Clint said.

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Steve, you're with me on creek patrol. You're watching my back. Clint, you're going for the blue flag. Go wide while the rest of the attack is drawing their fighters to the front. I'll do my best to keep as many of them away from the creek as possible." He turned back to the rest of the team. "Keep your eyes and ears open. Stark can fly, and he'll take advantage of that. Do what you can to get him down if he comes on the offensive. Natasha will be using stealth. Stay sharp. Athena always has a plan." Percy grimaced as he remembered Annabeth saying those exact words before his first capture-the-flag. "Everyone clear?" The group nodded seriously. "Alright let's go kick some butt!" The campers all cheered and headed off to their posts as counselors dictated who went where.

Percy exhaled in relief once everyone's eyes were off him. He climbed back down the rocks and stood next to Steve and Clint. "Man, I hope this plan works. Annabeth's always the leader in these situations. I'm just the guy who leads the attack."

Steve clapped his hand onto the teen's shoulder. "You did great kid."

Clint nodded in agreement. "It's a good plan. And I appreciate your faith in my stealth skills."

Percy winced. "I'm still not sure about that. I was seriously considering having you stick back here and defend the flag. I'm still counting on you to take out as many enemy campers as possible." Then Percy's eyes widened as another thought occurred to him. He spun and faced Clint. "And keep your eyes peeled. This is where we keep monsters to train. If you hear anything that doesn't sound human, either hide or run. Good rule of thumb is to aim for the eyes. They're almost always a weak spot. There shouldn't be many in the area but be careful." Percy wracked his brain for any other warnings. He could look after Steve, but Clint would be on his own. He came up with nothing. Percy started walking towards the creek with the two adults. He answered a few questions about the possible monsters they might run into (the Myrmekes freaked Steve out- apparently giant ants didn't sit well with him) and which campers to watch out for.

Once they reached the creek. They waited for a few minutes and then the conch sounded. Percy nodded at Clint and the SHIELD agent slipped across the creek and disappeared into the dark. Percy turned to Steve. "Alright, here's what I need you to do. I'm going to be focusing on slowing the blue team down. I need you to make sure nobody interrupts me. It'll probably be Clarisse." Off to the left, they heard the sound of their allies charging across the creek into enemy territory.

"Why?" Steve asked in confusion.

"Because I always beat her, and she hates it," Percy answered, a _duh_ expression on his face.

Steve shook his head and elaborated. "I meant why do I need to protect you. How are you going to slow them down?"

Percy grinned. "We're standing right next to a creek Steve."

Steve's mouth formed a perfect _oh_ as Percy stepped into the creek. He closed his eyes and raised his hands slightly, willing the water to obey him. He felt the sudden surge of energy and grinned slightly. He let the water wash away his worries about Annabeth and Tartarus and he let himself relax as his focused on it. He bent the water to his will and focused on sensing what was in the water. He'd been working hard with Annabeth on exploring the limits of his powers ever since the war with Gaia, and it showed. He knew right when the last of his team passed over into the blue territory downstream and if he concentrated, and he knew right when a blue team member stepped into the creek upstream. He grinned and waited patiently as several more entered the water before suddenly changing the currents from slow to rapid level and managed to sweep the campers off their feet and onto the shore.

Percy winced slightly as he felt the tug on his gut as he released the power. _This is_ _ **so**_ _much easier in the ocean,_ he thought wistfully, but he forced himself to continue concentrating on allowing no one to cross the creek. He was doing his best to give Clint enough time to find the blue flag before the blue team used their superior battle strategy and skills to reach his. He knew it wouldn't do much to stop Nico or Tony, but he was greatly lowering their odds for success. Not even Nico could take on a fifth of the camp on his own, and Stark wouldn't be wiling to risk hurting campers. He had to use that to his advantage. The longer he stalled, the higher their chances of winning.

Percy grinned as he imagined the looks on the camper's faces. He'd been keeping his training between him, Annabeth, and Chiron, so his more diversified powers were going to be a bit of a shock. He wished he could get a picture.

Suddenly he heard crashing in the bushes as six Ares and Athena campers came running out of the woods in front of him. He recognized Malcolm at the front. The son of Athena leveled his sword at him.

"Get Percy out of the water!" he yelled. "It's our only chance!" Percy couldn't move as they race towards him. He was focusing on controlling the water's speed and movement. Suddenly a bronze-and-silver blur rushed past his face and slammed into the two closest campers. The shield (thankfully without it's razor-sharp edge) rebounded right back to Steve, who caught it with ease.

The super-soldier grinned at the teens who were staring at him as if they had just noticed his arrival. "Hey, kids," Steve said casually, as if he was meeting them outside of class as he strolled into the water before stopping next to Percy. "How about you come fight someone who can actually fight back."

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

One of the Ares' kids growled in frustration and rushed the mortal with one of his brothers, sword-blades flashing. Steve just managed to get his shield up in time as the camper swung. He deflected the first blade off to the side easily before grabbing the second boy's wrist and squeezing, forcing him to drop his sword. Steve punched the kid, driving the wind out of him before shoving him down into the river, trusting Percy to get him out. He turned just in time to dodge a streak of light as it arced down on him. He stumbled away slightly. He lifted his shield a second later and a heavy _thud_ slammed into it. Steve was surprised at the sheer strength in the boy's swing. Not very many people could deliver a blow like that, and as he continued to the block the heavy blows, he risked a glance at Percy. The boy's eyes were still slightly unfocused, but he could see the intense concentration it must be taking to control so much water. He was starting to see sweat dripping down the teen's face, and he knew that he couldn't hold it for much longer. He turned back to the son of Ares in time to once again raise his shield to black a blow. He pulled out a dagger that Malcolm had given to him last minute and managed to parry the next blow before using his shield to push the boy back. He watched as the boy tumbled to the ground and was quickly whisked away by the current, pulled downstream to the opposite shore with his companion. The strong current, however, didn't affect Steve at all, and the soldier remembered Percy and spun.

By the time Steve had turned back around Percy had engaged another camper. The other three closed in, preventing him from focusing on the water and pushing him towards the bank. Steve jumped in and in after a minute of quick fighting the campers were thrown back onto their side of the creek and their weapons were swept downstream. Percy was bent over, hands on his knees, panting. Steve placed his hand on the teen's back, concerned that the boy was so tired after the quick fight. "You alright, Percy?" he asked.

"Yeah," Percy gasped, sounding like he'd just sprinted a mile. "It's just… been a while… I'm used to working with saltwater. It's easier for me to control. Just give me a minute to catch… my breath…"

Percy wasn't kidding. As Steve watched, he could see the strength return to the teen's body and he straightened, watching the breathing slow. Five minutes later Percy was standing straight, not looking quite refreshed but still much better than he had. He nodded at Steve and started walking through the water in the directions the six had come from. Steve followed and questioned him about his fast recovery.

Percy grinned. "Water always heals me, or gives me an energy boost," Percy explained. "The longer I'm in contact, the better. If I come out too early… well let's say you'd probably never see me again. Will would have me locked up in the infirmary faster than you can say 'Hades' underwear'."

Steve raised his eyebrow. It wasn't the first time he'd heard the god of the Underworld's name in a similar way. He wondered how Hades felt about all of these demigods using his name to swear.

Suddenly, they could hear fighting coming from up ahead. Steve locked eyes with Percy and they immediately started sprinting upstream. They rounded a bend to see at least a dozen demigods from both teams fighting on the red team's side, including Clarisse and Travis. As they drew closer, Steve could see Natasha among them. The SHIELD agent as well as four of her teammates were battling the seven red demigods. Natasha had already incapacitated several of them, and they were laying on the ground groaning. She was clearly using her superior speed to her advantage, and the red flag was fluttering around her waist. She parried swords and spears with her knife and then struck at weak points in her opponents armor with her fists, aiming for nerve clusters and throats. As Steve watched, Hermes kid fell to the ground unconscious. Steve winced in sympathy and headed right for her. He had to get the flag out of her hands. Off to the side he heard Percy call out to Clarisse.

"Yo Clarisse! You wanna go?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Clarisse snarl. "You're on, Jackson." He heard the loud sounds of metal hitting metal and then he was exchanging blows with Nat. She'd sheathed her knife, so it was hand-to-hand. They were both pretty evenly matched. So much time sparring over the past year that Natasha knew Steve's fighting style, and vice versa. It took a few minutes before Natasha finally managed to sneak a punch into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him gasping on his back.

Natasha grinned in triumph and sprinted to the creek, leaping across without touching the water. Steve got up as fast as he could, but she was too fast. Her teammates cheered as she cleared the creek and brought her hand to her waist, searching for the flag.

The smile dropped from her face as she realized it wasn't there. Steve heard laughing behind him and turned to see Travis laughing with the red flag dangling from his hands. "Looking for this?" he called.

Steve had never seen so much shock on Natasha's face. She was usually so good about hiding her emotions. "But… I… how?" she stammered.

Percy came up beside Steve laughing. Looking back, Steve could see a groaning, soaking-wet Clarisse on the ground. "Son of Hermes, god of thieves," Percy reminded Natasha. "Travis definitely takes after his father in that regard." We readied ourselves to defend Travis when commotion downstream distracted us.

Twenty feet away, Clint came crashing out of the woods and across the creek with Tony in pursuit. With the blue flag in hand, he crossed the stream and the red team erupted in cheers. Tony landed, and his visor flipped up. He looked towards the team apologetically. "Sorry guys. He slipped by me."

Chiron came cantering towards them, blowing the conch. "Red team wins!" he called, and the cheers increased in volume. Apollo cabin came close behind with Bruce in tow, and immediately started attending to the injured campers. It seemed like they'd been giving him a crash course in demigod medicine because he went straight to work. Steve nodded. He always hated people who said that Bruce was dangerous. His medicinal and technological genius had saved all their lives more than once. He never passed up an opportunity to learn how he could help others, even if those others were half-deity and medicine was magic lemon bars.

The Avengers were all unharmed, though Clint claimed to have had a near-death experience with one of those giant ants. Once Bruce was no longer needed, they left, eager to get out of the dark woods. Percy caught up to them as they passed through the strawberry fields. Clint finally broke the silence, turning to Natasha. "So we're still friends, right? I mean, we did beat you guys…" he teased.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Barely, I didn't even get to hit you. I didn't even get Steve that hard."

Steve raised his eyebrow. The giant bruise forming on his stomach said otherwise.

Everyone laughed at his expression. The next few minutes were spent in silence as they continued towards the Big House. Percy broke the silence next, killing the mood almost instantly. "We should leave in the next few days," he said, and Steve could see the determination on his face. "You guys are doing well with your new stuff, so tomorrow we might work on some Monster Fighting 101 than leave. Sound good to you guys?" 

Steve nodded. They'd already stayed longer than they probably should have. They hadn't been given a time limit, but there was a lot at stake. Steve could see Percy's growing fear and grief the longer Annabeth Chase was gone. He made fewer jokes, smiled a lot less. And from what the demigod had told him about his dreams… it was safe to say they needed to get her back. Steve was just worried what they'd have to sacrifice in order to do that.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Thorn shivered as he entered Koios' war room. The icy titan didn't even look up from where he was studying maps of Camp Half-Blood and Mt. Tamalpais.

"Report." The command was given in a bored tone, as if nothing the manticore could possibly say could hold anything of interest. Thorn felt his spines bristle slightly at the intended insult, but he forced himself to bow his head respectfully.

"Lord Koios. Our scouts report that no one has left of entered Camp Half-Blood since Jackson returned. No pegasi have left, no one left by foot, and hellhounds have been monitoring the shadows. We also have harpies patrolling over the sea. We'll know the moment he leaves."

Koios nodded thoughtfully. "I'm honestly surprised. I'd expected the demigods to make a move by now. I was half-expecting Perseus to come immediately after you showed him the sword. Something's changed." The Titan finally looked up and met Thorn's eyes. "Increase forces and begin stationing monsters along the fastest route. I want him, and his forces attacked no matter where they go. Dismissed"

Thorn bowed reluctantly and exited the building that served as Koios' command center. He sent the hunting parties as ordered and then headed over to Chase's cell. Hopefully she'd scream this time. If he did well, maybe Lord Tartarus would allow him to get a piece of Jackson once they had him. The boy had felt his poison before, and Thorn was certain it wouldn't be the last time.

"Bring whomever you want, demigod," he snarled softly as he approached the dark building. "Soon, you will kneel."

 **A/N: Ohhhh, I got chills writing that last part. I felt a Thorn segment was a nice little addition.**

 **I really hope you guys enjoy the Capture the Flag scene. I worked really hard on it and tried to make it realistic. Really hope it works out. Option A was definitely the most popular choice and I hope I did it justice.**

 **Question for Reviews: Blackjack or Mrs. O'Leary for transportation to Cali? Let me know what you think as well as how I did with the chapters. Reading your guys' comments are seriously the highlight of my day so please hit me up! More reviews means faster updates!**

 **May the Force be with you!**

 **Stiltsrosko**


	18. Chapter 18: Monsters 101

**Hey everybody! Guess what? I'm alive! I'm so so sorry that I haven't posted in so long. Finals are coming up and everything has just been so crazy. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. They're honestly what keep me going.**

 **Progress Report: Guys, Battle of Heroes passed 50,000 views! I'm so excited! Thanks for all the support. There are also 234 REVIEWS, 466 FOLLOWERS and 314 FAVORITES! Thanks for everything! Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 18: Monsters 101**

Percy jerked awake with a gasp. He jerked Riptide from his pocket and was about to uncap it before his brain finally processed where he was. His breathing slowed as he registered the sea-green bunks and familiar mess around the cabin. He saw one of Tyson's old mobiles and focused on it, watching the fish and hippocampi move slowly. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face vigorously, as if he could erase the last night's dream from his memory. Flashes of Thorn's spines and Annabeth's terrified face erupted in his mind the second he closed his eyes and he groaned, still hearing her pained scream. He growled in frustration and slammed his fist into his pillow. He hated this! He needed to help her!

Percy glanced at the bedside clock and grimaced. At least the sun was already up this time. Hopefully his exhaustion wouldn't be too obvious.

He swung his legs out of bed and stared at the floor. A groan found its way out of his mouth when the sudden movement agitated a new bruise from the night before. Clarisse had managed to get in a good thrust. Though his breastplate had protected him, he was pretty sure he'd bruised some ribs. He'd only managed to escape Will because the son of Apollo was fussing over Nico who'd apparently shadow-traveled Natasha and several others to their flag, and then passed out as a consequence. Percy shook his head as he remembered. If anyone could rival his stubbornness, it was Nico. _Although Thalia could probably give us a run for our money,_ he thought. _Maybe it's a Greek Big Three demigod thing._

Percy stood and found a pair of sweats and a jacket. He stepped outside and grimaced when the sunlight hit his face. He squinted and managed to make out several figures heading for breakfast. He followed them to the dining pavilion and headed for the Poseidon table.

His still half-asleep brain took nearly five seconds to process the fact that there were two figures sitting at his table. Another few seconds and he finally recognized Natasha and Clint enjoying some toast. He nodded towards them in a half-hearted greeting before collapsing in his seat and dragging a plate towards him. As soon as he finished the sacrifice ritual he dug in, consuming all of the blue eggs he could.

"So," he asked in between bites, "where are the others?"

Natasha shrugged. "Steve's already up and about. He left for a run half-an-hour ago. Bruce and Tony should be down any minute."

Percy grunted in acknowledgement before returning to his eggs. A few minutes later, Bruce came in dragging a bleary-eyed Tony by the ear. They sat down, and Percy passed them both food. The small group fell into companionable silence as they ate, only moving when Steve arrived from his run, followed by some not-subtle Aphrodite girls. Percy glared at them and they scattered. The team chuckled, and they finished their meal in peace.

Once everyone finished, Percy stood and led them towards the beach closest to the woods. As they walked through the strawberry fields, Percy waved to some of the satyrs and Demeter kids. He laughed out loud when he saw the reactions to the satyr's and the rapidly growing strawberry vines, but Percy pulled them away. They needed to focus on the threats. They'd already wasted too much time.

He gestured for them to follow and ran to the waves. He dove in, desperately needing to clear his head and breathed deeply. _Rainbow!_ he called mentally. _Could you ask Tyson if he could meet me here in the next hour? I need to introduce him to some friends._ He felt the hippocampus' acknowledgement. He cast his senses around and realized the Avengers weren't in the water. He frowned and surfaced, shooting them a confused look. "Don't want to come in?" he called.

He could see Steve's eyebrows shoot up. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching us?" Percy sighed and reluctantly left the water.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry I just needed a moment to clear my head." He willed himself dry and stretched, ignoring the shocked looks.

"You're dry?" Clint asked.

"Don't get wet unless I want to. Now quiet. I'm thinking." Percy shut his eyes and tried to think of a monster that wouldn't kill them on sight.

"Great we'll be here all day," Tony muttered. Percy didn't need to open his eyes to completely drench the billionaire.

"Alright. I'm bringing a friend. If you hurt her, I hurt you. I promise she won't attack unless you do." Before the Avengers could ask, he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. Nothing happened for several seconds.

"Uhm, Perc-" Tony began, but he held up his hand to stop him and pointed towards the shadowed woods. A moment later, a huge hellhound came bounding out of the shadows and immediately tackled him. Percy knew he wasn't getting out of this bath, so he focused on making sure the drool didn't get in his mouth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Avengers staring at him with worried expressions, but they didn't attack.

Mrs. O'Leary was satisfied after a minute or so, and she finally let Percy up. He stood and wiped himself as dry as he could before turning back and resting his hand on Mrs. O'Leary's shoulder. "Guys, this is Mrs. O'Leary. She is probably the only tame hellhound in the world."

"A hellhound?" Steve asked in a small voice. Percy nodded.

"Named Mrs. O'Leary?" Tony clarified. Again, Percy nodded. Tony shrugged. "Fair enough. Next?"

The rest of the team looked at Stark like he was crazy. He looked at them in confusion. "What? We've seen this kid control water, other kids kick butt, and if half the stuff I've read in myths is true, this dog is going to be the least of our worries. Am I right Percy?"

Percy shrugged. "Yeah basically. I inherited Mrs. O'Leary from her previous owner so she's cool. I just wanted you guys to meet her, so you'll know what you're dealing with. She's a little bigger than average." The energetic wagged her tail eagerly and started sniffing everyone. She grew excited once she reached Steve and kept jumping around playfully. Percy's eyes widened. "Steve, unless you want to be cleaning drool off your shield for the next two days, do not let her anywhere near it." Everyone noticed how, compared to the giant hellhound, the vibranium shield looked like the perfect frisbee. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've been threatened by the Hephaestus kids once they got the ones she played with," Percy continued, shuddering.

Steve nodded slowly, allowing his mind to process everything. "Anything else?"

Percy grinned. "Yeah. Just wait 'til you guys meet Tyson."

Natasha frowned. "Is he a demigod?" she asked.

"No," Percy said. "Well… technically yes but… you'll understand when you see him."

"BROTHER!" A yell from the beach interrupted their conversation. Percy laughed. _Speak of the devil,_ he thought, and turned just in time to be crushed by a hug.

"Hey… Tyson… good to… see you too," Percy gasped out. He swore he could hear his ribs creaking from the strain. Percy gasped as he was released, and he grabbed his side. Tyson turned to the team and Percy could see the confusion in his big brown eye. He leaned over and whispered to Percy, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Brother, they're _mortals!_ "

Percy grinned and nodded. "Yes Tyson. They're the friends I wanted you to meet."

Tyson straightened back up and looked at the Avengers curiously. He'd grown a bit in the past year and was now at least seven foot tall. He was still wearing a flannel shirt, and Percy could see some red feathers peeking out of the breast pocket. Percy raised an eyebrow and grinned

"Tyson, those wouldn't happen to be Ella's feathers, would they?"

Tyson blushed a beet red. "Maybe…" he muttered.

Percy's grin grew even wider, but he didn't tease the poor Cyclopes. He turned back to them while Tyson went to play with Mrs. O'Leary who was barking excitedly.

"Tyson is your brother? A Cyclopes?" Bruce asked, a completely shocked expression on his face.

"Half-brother, technically. Most monsters are the offspring of immortals and nature spirits. I asked Tyson to come because most Cyclopes you're going to meet aren't as nice as Tyson. He's still pretty young and small."

Tony snorted in disbelief. "That's small?" he said, pointing to Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary's wrestling match that was currently shaking the earth.

Percy grimaced. "Yeah. Most are at least twelve feet and ready to kill without hesitation. They're also fireproof and master blacksmiths. They're also not very bright, so tricking them usually works. Hellhounds and cyclopes, as well as dracaena, are some of the more common monsters. Dracaena are women with snakes for legs. They shouldn't give you guys much trouble because their weapons won't hurt you and they don't have natural defenses." Percy paused to allow the information to sink in. The Avengers were just staring at the Cyclopes and hellhound as they played around.

"And you're hunted by monsters like them wherever you go?" Bruce asked.

Percy sighed. "Yeah. And when no one else can see them, you get blamed for a lot of their messes." He saw the sympathy in their faces and immediately changed the subject. "Anyways, if you're confronted by any other monsters hit and stab until you find a weak spot." He flashed a fake smile and started walking back towards the cabins. He called back, "Meet me outside the Big House in an hour. We're leaving ASAP." Then he turned to his brother, who was just finishing his wrestling match. "See you later Tyson!" With that he started running, trying to get as far as he could from their pity looks.

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Bruce watched sadly as Percy ran off. That boy had been through so much but was still able to put up a happy mask that would've fooled most people. But he wasn't most people. As a doctor and the Hulk, he knew a lot about concealing and suppressing one's emotions. He'd had to deal with Natasha's poker face, Steve's stubbornness, and Tony's habit of hiding his feelings behind a carefree facade. He could tell that Percy was hiding behind his jokes and smiles because it was expected of him as a leader. It was his job to stay strong for everyone else's sake.

But underneath it, he could see the fear that was threatening to consume him.

The boy was scared. Scared of losing Annabeth like he'd lost Connor, Luke, Silena, Charlie… the list went on and on, and they'd only heard the story of one war. He was scared of letting his friends down, scared of letting the Avengers-a group of mortals that had kidnapped him a week ago-down.

And yet… he smiled. He laughed and joked. He made sure to hide all of his worries so deep that no one could see them so that no one would worry about him and focused on protecting others as best he could. Bruce knew that if it came down to it, the teen would not hesitate to sacrifice himself to save his friends.

Bruce sighed and faced his teammates. "Back to the Big House?" he asked solemnly.

The others nodded in agreement and they started walking back. No one said a word as they made their way across the camp, dodging campers and ignoring stares. Before Bruce knew it, they were inside the Big House, heading to their separate rooms. He entered his and looked around. The room was just big enough for a bed, an armchair and a small closet. He didn't have much. Just a bag filled with emergency supplies. He sighed and sat on the bed. _What have we gotten ourselves into?_ he thought. _We could be heading into another war against more creatures we don't understand. We almost lost Tony last time. Our luck won't hold out forever._

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a tentative knock on the door. He stood and moved to open it, confused as to who it could be.

He pulled it open to find Will Solace standing outside, a nervous grin on his face. "Hey," the boy said.

"Hey Will" Bruce said in confusion. He didn't get why the son of Apollo would be here.

"Can I come in?" Will scratched the back of his neck. "I was hoping I could talk to you."

"Sure." Bruce stepped aside and waved the boy inside. He noticed the kid had a bag on his shoulder. He moved to the bed as Will sat down on the chair. "What's up?"

"Just got some stuff I figured might come in handy." He passed the bag to Bruce, who opened it to find a canteen and a two plastic baggies with-

"Is that ambrosia?" he asked in awe.

Will nodded, a small grin on his face. "I figured you're the best person to give it to, just in case. The canteen is full of nectar and the second bag's for Steve, for when you do your whole 'giant, green, indestructible monster' thing."

Bruce winced. "You heard about that?"

"Malcolm's only told a couple of the counselors to reassure them. Personally, I think it's kind of cool." Bruce stared at the teen in disbelief. "You spend your life trying to help others. They don't see you as a person, just a threat to them. And yet you're always trying to protect them from a monster only you can hold back. As a demigod, I understand what you're going through a lot better than most." Bruce thought about all of the things he'd seen these demigods do. Their powers could be dangerous if used the wrong way, so they were forced to hide here, isolated from society, even though they had no control over their situation. Anywhere they went, they ran the risk of unleashing a monster on innocent people. _He's right,_ he thought bitterly. He looked at the teen and grinned weakly. _We're not so different after all._

Will grinned back, then changed the subject. "Anyways, Percy will probably find his way into a life-or-death situation, and I figured at least one of you should be prepared. And Annabeth… she probably won't be in the best of shape when you find her."

Bruce nodded grimly. They needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario. The odds of all of them coming out of this unscathed were slim to nil. "Thanks Will," he said as he placed the godly food into his bag. He turned back to the blonde teen and smiled. "For everything."

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Percy stood on the verandah of the Big House, watching sadly as campers rushed by with urgency. They were preparing, he knew, in case he failed. He sighed and rubbed his face. The hour was almost up. It was approaching noon and they needed to leave. He hefted the backpack on his shoulder and did a mental check of his supplies.

Change of clothes. _Check._

Ambrosia and nectar. _Check._

Golden drachmas. _Check._

Mortal money. _Check._

Riptide. _In pocket as always._

In the hour he'd given the Avengers, he'd also managed to send an Iris-message to Frank and Hazel. Reception hadn't been great, but he'd managed to tell them what was going on and warn them of the possible danger. He'd also asked them to warn Terminus just in case the Avengers had to enter Camp Jupiter. He'd rather not argue with the perfectionist border god. They'd assured him that they'd take care of it and wished him luck rescuing Annabeth.

All he could do now was wait.

He whistled for Mrs. O'Leary and she bounded into view happily, rolling onto her back. She stared at him with her pleading eyes until he finally relented and started rubbing her belly, which was really a workout, considering her size.

After a few minutes, he heard the Big House's front door open and turned to see the team assembled on the verandah. He quickly walked over to them and they joined him on the grass. After a few moments of awkward silence, it was Tony who spoke first.

"So, do we have a plan for how we're getting to California?" he asked.

Percy made a _so-so_ gesture with his hand. "More or less. I was honestly planning on taking Mrs. O'Leary." He gestured to the hellhound relaxing behind them. "She can get me there in a couple days max."

"And what about us?" Steve raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

Percy grimaced slightly. "I'm not sure. We could all take pegasi, but it would slow us down. I was hoping you guys could pull some strings with S.H.I.E.L.D. You're going to need an excuse for why you've been gone so long."

Tony smirked. "Not a problem. I'm a great liar."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "We'll take care of it Percy. Why don't you just come with us. We have a Quinjet that could-"

Percy paled as he cut her off, shaking his head firmly. "As a son of Poseidon, flying isn't usually a good idea for me, and I'm not exactly in my uncle's good books right now."

Steve's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, so Zeus…"

"Yeah." Percy nodded. "I can give you guys a few rendezvous points where we can meet up on our way. I could use someone to watch my back while Mrs. O'Leary recovers between jumps."

"Why not use a phone?" Tony asked.

Again, Percy shook his head. "No good. Demigods and technology don't exactly mix well."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Percy grinned weakly. "It basically broadcasts a half-blood's location to every single monster within a hundred miles, saying 'Stupid demigod! Get it while it's warm!' I'd rather not increase my odds of becoming dinner."

Clint shrugged. "Fair enough."

Bruce cut in. "So where should we meet you?"

Percy thought about it for a moment. _We'll need at least two jumps,_ he thought. _Somewhere I've been to help out Mrs. O'Leary…_

"If I told you to meet me at a specific mile marker could you do it?" he asked Tony.

The billionaire raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think you're talking to kid?"

Percy put his hands up defensively. "Hey, just checking. Meet me at mile marker 32 outside Topeka, Kansas tonight." 

It was Natasha's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why there?"

Percy grimaced. "A little bit of history. But it's remote, out of the way, and it's a good stop for Mrs. O'Leary to rest. Besides, I wasn't attacked by monsters last time I was there." _Mostly because I was one of the people_ _doing_ _the attacking,_ he added in his head.

Steve looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but thankfully decided to move on. He gestured to his team. "Come on, guys. We'd better get moving." He turned back to Percy. "We'll do our best to get there by nightfall. The Quinjet's fast, but we might have some problems escaping SHIELD. If we're not there by morning, go without us. We'll meet you at Mt. Othrys." Percy nodded, and the team started walking up the hill towards Argus, who had retrieved the SUV they had arrived in. After they disappeared over the crest of the hill, Percy sighed before making his way to Mrs. O'Leary, who was currently napping. As he moved to wake her though, he heard soft footsteps behind him. He smirked.

"You know you can't sneak up on me Neeks." He turned to see his cousin standing with his arms crossed.

Nico ignored his comment, and fixed Percy with a stern stare. "You know that Koios will know as soon as you leave." It wasn't a question.

Percy nodded, face serious. "I'd be surprised if he didn't."

"And that's why you're not leaving with them?"

"Wouldn't be a surprise otherwise, would it?"

Nico nodded in approval. Then his faced softened, allowing his concern to show. "Just be careful, okay Perce? I don't think the camp could afford to lose you after Travis and Annabeth…"

Percy stopped Nico with a glare. "We're bringing Annabeth back, no matter what."

Nico sighed. "I know Percy. But don't forget that you mean a lot to the campers too. Greek or Roman, you're a leader, and if you don't come back…"

Nico trailed off and the silence stretched between them. Percy walked closer to Nico and rested his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Then I know that they'll still be in great hands with you." Percy felt the boy straighten a little bit and saw the determination in his face. He extended his hand and Nico grasped it firmly. Percy moved to Mrs. O'Leary, who was standing uncharacteristically still, having awoken when Nico arrived. He mounted her, grasping the Stygian iron collar forged by Beckendorf and looked back at the son of Hades. Percy nodded to him and then whispered the location in his hellhound's ear. She barked, louder than a foghorn, and sprang forward before disappearing into the shadow of the Big House, leaving Nico alone in the grass.

 **A/N: Well that was a fun chapter to write! Thank you all for reading it! Things are starting to pick up now and I hope you all stay tuned for the journey.**

 **Question for the week: What monsters do you guys want to see featured in Kansas? Thorn is a no, but everything else is fair game! (within reason. I'm not throwing in Titans or Giants)**

 **Here are your review responses:**

 **SweetRose17:** Thank you so much for your review! It really made my day, and I really did enjoy using "Whatever it takes"!

 **Dustiniz117:** Totally got the Cap's shield/frisbee thing from your review! Thanks for the idea. As for your question: Thor will probably not make an appearance, just because I want to focus on Greek gods, though I may through in a cameo in the end, and the Avenger's dead foes is a maybe. It would be hard for me to do but I'll think about it.

 **Keranovi:** The whole "befriending monsters" idea is a good one and I will definitely look into it, but no promises.

 **Superskywalker:** Thank you so much for your review! It made feel so good about this fic. And about Percy normally rushing, I thought I would show how much he's matured. He's still our Seaweed Brain, but he's more responsible and thinks things through a bit more. That's my personal take on it, and I'm just happy you're willing to share your opinions with me.

 **Skate815freckles** : Your review could not have come at a more perfect time. I was running low on inspiration, but your comments gave me enough juice to post this chapter ASAP. I'm relaly glad you like the fic, I've been working hard on it. And sorry we're not taking Blackjack :,( it just didn't work (though I appreciate your faith in me). I'll try to bring him back towards the end.

 **Well that just about covers everything. Have a wonderful week everyone!**

 **Bob says hello**

 **Stiltsrosko**


	19. Chapter 19: Facing the Fury

**A/N: I'M ALIVE EVERYBODY! Please, please, PLEASE forgive me for waiting so long to update! It was partly due to finals, then I was moving home, and I just started working again… needless to say its been a crazy few weeks. Finals didn't go as great as I'd hoped, but I'm still holding in there. This isn't a very long, or in my opinion, very good chapter, but I wanted to get you guys something for the weekend. I'll try to post something on Sunday night or Monday morning, but no promises.**

 **Thank you all for your support and reviews! They're honestly what kept me going, kept me writing. You guys are the best readers an author could ever have! Honestly you guys are fantastic.**

 **And now for the review responses:**

 _Marsawesome_ : Thank you I'm glad you love it. My screen name is just a little combo of a nickname my dad gave me when I was little and a variation of my last name. Thanks for asking.

 _SweetRose17:_ I love love LOVE reading your reviews. They always warm my heart. And I totally agree with the whole platonic Pernico thing. Percy's just like the big brother Nico never had (once he got over his crush on him), the really talented one that he felt he had no chance living up to. I honestly know what that feels like.

 _Skate815freckles:_ Your last review could not have come at a better time. Thank you for the inspiration to keep writing.

 _HISB_ : Thanks for all the ideas these last few weeks. They've been great. Here's your update!

 **Chapter 19: Facing the Fury**

Steve grimaced as he stepped out of the SUV into the late afternoon light. He looked up at Avengers Tower as the sun shone on the windows. He sighed. They'd been totally off the grid for over forty-eight hours with no contact to or from SHIELD. Fury was not going to happy.

Tony stepped up beside him. He'd accompanied them in the car to avoid any extra attention from the public. Steve glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "You know they're going to be furious about you hacking them again."

Tony shrugged. "How else did you expect to escape them? I'm sure as heck not apologizing for it." A smirk crept onto the billionaire's face. "You'd think they'd be used to it by now. Honestly, their firewalls are a piece of crap."

Steve chuckled weakly. It was true that Tony's hacks had become a kind of joke to the Avengers. He did it on a weekly basis, or whenever he got bored. Steve was pretty sure Tony'd blackmailed SHIELD into allowing the Avengers the freedom they had. Nobody really knew what he'd found, but most of it probably wasn't good.

"Well, I'd better go report to Fury," Steve said. "This should be fun."

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell him?" Bruce asked as they started walking into the building.

"And how much you're going to tell him?" Nat added.

Steve nodded. "I've got a plan. I won't tell him everything, obviously, but he has the right to know some of it. For example, I'll let him know that the world's in danger, but I'll be a bit vague on what's endangering it."

Clint nodded. "Sounds good. But if he murders you, can I have your room?"

Nat punched him in the shoulder while Tony and Bruce laughed, but Steve only grimaced. Fury was not going to be happy. He sighed and headed to the elevator with his friends. It was slightly crowded but it slowly emptied as they ascended. Just before Steve got off on his floor, he turned to them. "Just remember guys, if anyone asks, we didn't find Percy Jackson. Tony turned off our trackers and comms so that we could go get shawarma. Clear?"

Everyone nodded, and he walked out, but of course Tony couldn't resist a parting remark. "Good luck Capsicle! We all know you're going to need it!" Before Steve could glare at him properly, the doors closed, and he was alone. He sighed and turned away from the doors

As soon as Steve stepped out of the elevator, he felt eyes of the dozens of SHIELD agents snap to him immediately. He made sure he had his face arranged in a neutral expression. He couldn't afford to give Percy away now. He walked calmly towards Fury's office, cursing the fact that it was so far away. He had to cross the entire floor just to reach it.

Steve wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Fury was there. He took a deep breath and walked inside when he was admitted, ready to face the Director of SHIELD.

 **SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Fury stared at Rogers as he entered his office. The blonde supersoldier had a now-familiar expression on his face. The look of someone who'd just had their minds blown. For a man who'd been frozen for the better part of a century, it was a miracle his face wasn't permanently stuck that way.

"Director Fury, sir." He stood at attention in front of his desk and Fury let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Well, Captain?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Sir?" Rogers asked, a confused expression creeping onto his face.

"What bull-crap excuse have you concocted for me today?" He looked the man right in the eye. "I know you can't tell me everything, but I need to know the excuse for the Council."

A look of understanding overtook Rogers' face. "We didn't find Percy Jackson. We covered most of the New York area but there was no sign of him."

"And the reason Stark turned off the trackers?" 

"Shawarma."

Fury groaned. He could've guessed. "And what are you willing to tell me?"

The captain's face grew nervous. "Sir, this must stay between us and the Avengers, and I can't tell you the half of it."

Fury nodded. He was, first and foremost, a spy, after all. He knew how to keep a secret. He gestured for the man to sit in the chair in front of the desk.

Rogers' shoulders slumped tiredly as he sank into the chair. Fury could see some of the mental exhaustion the man was feeling and recognized it as similar to his own. He internally winced in sympathy but kept his face impassive.

"We found him. We'd arranged before he 'escaped' to meet him. He took us somewhere and showed us… a lot. I can't tell you what exactly, but I can tell you that he's no threat."

Fury nodded. He'd figured they would have already planned to meet Jackson. And he'd already accepted the fact that the boy was not their enemy. But he could hear something else in the captain's voice. "But…" he prompted.

Rogers sighed. "The world is in danger again. We need a Quinjet and no questions. The only people who can know we're leaving are you and whoever has to get the jet ready. Clint can fly it. Tony will disengage any trackers." The look on Steve Rogers face and the serious tone in his voice left no room for argument.

Fury just nodded, and asked, "I'll have the clearance ready for you in fifteen minutes. It'll be waiting for you at the top of the tower. How long do you think this will take?"

The soldier just shrugged. "Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Can you keep the Council off our backs for that long, sir?"

Fury brandished his wolf grin. "Shouldn't be a problem. Stark isn't the only one with blackmail."

 **SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Tony looked up as Steve walked into the room. He had been doing some last-minute adjustments to his suit before they left. This celestial bronze was amazing stuff. He really hoped Cap and Percy would let him keep some of it, but he seriously doubted it.

"So, Capsicle, still have all your limbs I see," he commented in a conversational tone. "Fury was in a good mood then?"

Steve gave him a stern glare before turning to the rest of the team, who were lounging on the couches. All conversation had stopped when he walked into the room. Tony even put down his screwdriver and walked over, wiping grease stains off his hands with a towel. Pepper wasn't going to be happy when she found that after she got home from Washington.

"We've got a Quinjet on its way," Steve began. "We'll be ready to leave from here in five minutes. Everyone ready?" A wave of nods moved around the room. Tony stepped into the suit and moved around experimentally. The celestial bronze had given his repulsors an extra boost in power, both in flight and in a fight. He could see the others checking their own equipment. Natasha was sharpening one of her new daggers, Clint was checking his arrows, Steve was fitting his sharpened bronze covering onto his shield, and Bruce was checking the bag he usually carried with medical supplies.

A thought popped into his mind and he immediately rushed to his lab. He saw the strange white sword that the manticore Thorn had left sitting on his examination table and grabbed it. He figured Percy would appreciate to get it back. By the time he'd returned to the common room, the Quinjet was hovering next to the balcony and the team was climbing inside. He flew inside briefly to pass the sword to Steve who nodded in appreciation. He stepped out of his suit and asked Jarvis to deactivate any tracking devices that may be broadcasting a signal before Clint and Nat activated the cloaking and they left for Kansas.

Tony glanced at the time. If they pushed the Quinjet to its top speed they should make it to Kansas before the sun set completely.

"Who wants to bet that Percy's going to be attacked before we get there?" he joked.

 **SFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Percy wasn't in the mood for joking.

He was leaning against the 32 Topeka sign watching Mrs. O'Leary race the occasional car up the freeway. The area was much as he remembered it. Hot, dry, with nothing but wheat fields for miles in every direction.

Of course, his memory of the place was still a little hazy. Last time he'd been here, he'd been possessed by an eidolon and forced to attack Jason (he totally won that fight, by the way) and Blackjack had kicked him in the back of the head. He didn't blame the pegasus, of course, but he'd had a knot on the back of his head for a week.

He thought about Annabeth. Honestly, she was all he'd been able to think about, no matter what he did to try to distract himself. He couldn't help but think about what they might be doing to her right now while he was here, sitting around, doing nothing.

But he had no choice. He couldn't save her on his own. He had to wait for the Avengers.

Even if the wait was killing him.

The sun was setting, with only a few minutes of light remaining. He stared at the sky as he pulled his jacket tighter around him. He'd been waiting for nearly two hours at this point, and he was desperately hoping the team would get here before night fell. He didn't want to have to leave in the morning and risk not finding them again until it was to late. And he really didn't want to sleep out here tonight without anyone but Mrs. O'Leary to help keep watch. She'd only woken a few minutes ago and would need more rest if they were going to keep shadow traveling.

The sun had just touched the horizon when he heard the Avengers arrive. Percy sighed in relief when the futuristic-looking jet shimmered into existence. He waved at Clint and Natasha, who he could see in the cockpit window, and reluctantly stood as it landed softly in the field behind him. Traffic had been slowing down consistently, and he hadn't seen a car in the past twenty minutes.

He casually strolled over to the jet, and grinned when the ramp lowered, showing Steve and Tony waiting to get off. The billionaire immediately threw his arm around Percy's shoulders and exclaimed, "Darn it Percy! You just lost me twenty bucks!"

Percy looked at him in confusion. "How?"

Steve smirked as he followed Tony out. "He bet me that you'd have been attacked by now."

Percy laughed. "You got lucky Cap. Usually he would've been right," he said drily. Steve chuckled at Tony's mock-disappointed face.

Just as Bruce, Natasha and Clint exited the Quinjet, Mrs. O'Leary came racing over and rolled onto her back in front of Steve. She looked at him pleadingly and Steve raised a questioning eyebrow at Percy. "Is she asking me what I think she is?" he asked.

Percy chuckled. "You'd better start scratching or things are about to get ugly." Steve rolled his eyes and started rubbing the hellhound's belly. He could barely reach the center of her stomach, but she loved it anyways. Her tail started wagging violently and Natasha narrowly avoided being bowled over.

"So, Percy," Bruce started, "what's the plan?"

Percy grinned. "You guys got here earlier than I thought you would. We can spend the night here and keep going in the morning. Mrs. O'Leary still needs a little bit of time to rest. Shadow traveling such long distances tires her out."

The rest of the group nodded and everyone, except Steve (who wasn't going anywhere anytime soon) headed back into the Quinjet to find a spot to sleep. Thankfully, the seats, more comfortable than they looked, and it wasn't too difficult. Steve was stuck on the first guard shift be default.

 _Percy was back in Koios' prison on Mr. Othrys. He could see Annabeth sticking her bobby pin back into her hair. Her hands and ankles were free, and her shoulder was scabbed over. He sighed in relief to see her alert and relatively unharmed. He was still going to kill Thorn for what he did to her, but he was still grateful to see her. He could feel himself relax and he walked forward and crouched by her side._

" _Annabeth…" he whispered. He raised his hand to try and brush her cheek as she relaxed against the wall._ I wish you could hear me, _he thought sadly. "I'm coming for you Wise Girl. Nothing in Tartarus will stop me from getting to you."_

 _ **Oh Perseus,**_ _a dark voice echoed in Percy's mind, sounding deceptively gentle._ _ **You really shouldn't promise things like that.**_

 _Just like the first dream, the image of Annabeth slowly dissolved into darkness despite his shouted protests and he was once again frozen in place. Percy glared into the darkness. "Tartarus!" he yelled. "Show yourself, you coward!"_

" _My, my, my," a low voice, no longer in his head, crooned around Percy, seeming to come from every direction at once. "Someone's in a bad mood today."_

 _Tartarus finally materialized in front of the young demigod, and Percy deepened his glare. "What do you want?" he spat. He was tired of this horrible, nagging fear, of not knowing if Annabeth was alive or dead. He wanted this to be over._

" _I simply wished to let you know that I know exactly where you are. You didn't think you could sneak away_ _that_ _easily, did you? And I also thought I should update you on your beloved's condition. But if you're going to behave like this, perhaps I should allow Koios to…"_

" _Don't touch her!" Percy screamed. He tried to hide the slight crack in his voice with his rage, but they both knew he failed. Percy could practically see Tartarus' smug grin as he was suddenly forced to his to his knees. A moment later, a flurry of punches pummeled his stomach and head, leaving him gasping for breath and groaning in pain. His head hung, chin resting on his chest as he fought back the tears of pain and anger that had formed, blurring his vision. Several deep breaths later, he looked up to see Tartarus just staring at him in amusement._

" _And what would you do, young demigod, to ensure your dear Annabeth's safety?" the primordial asked._

" _You already know the answer," Percy hissed venomously._

" _True," the lord of the pit said, tilting his head slightly, "but I would really like to hear you say it."_

 _This time, Percy made no effort to conceal the crack as he whispered. His voice sounded broken, even to his own ears. "A-anything…" he whispered._

 _Tartarus hummed in satisfaction. "That's what I wanted to hear. How I'd love to test that right now…" Percy's heart clenched in fear at the wistful tone in the primordial's voice, "but unfortunately that'll have to wait until you get here. Until then, enjoy a visit from an old friend. She's finally back and after she heard about what you did to her family, she's not very happy with you."_

 _Percy mentally ran through his list of enemies. It was long. "Who…?"_

" _Ah, ah, ah, wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now, would we?" Tartarus asked in a mocking tone. "I'll see you soon Perseus. I do hope you survive until then."_

 _Percy's vision suddenly went black and he felt himself finally begin to wake. But something was wrong, something was coming, he needed to warn the team…_

Percy bolted upright, scaring the life out of Bruce, who had been bent over him. The doctor had narrowly avoided getting a broken nose when Percy jumped awake.

"Finally! I couldn't wake you! We're under attack!"

 **A/N: Alright, first order of business is that I have NOT, repeat, NOT NOT NOT NOT seen Endgame yet! So NO SPOILERS in reviews!**

 **That being said, PREPARE YOURSELVES! I have a plan for next chapter, and it's a doozy. I'm probably going to cry while writing it. Is it bad that I'm actually looking forward to it?**

 **Thank you all for being such a fantastic support group. This week's question is: WHO DO YOU THINK TARTARUS SENT? It is a monster, not a demigod or god.**

 **Please review and enjoy this chapter! It's been great coming back!**

 **Stiltsrosko OUT!**


	20. Chapter 20: I Kinda Cut Her Head Off?

**Chapter 20: I Kinda… Cut Her Head Off?**

 _ **Previously**_ _: Percy bolted upright, scaring the life out of Bruce, who had been bent over him. The doctor had narrowly avoided getting a broken nose when Percy jumped awake._

" _Finally! I couldn't wake you! We're under attack!"_

Percy jumped to his feet, instantly alert. He groaned softly when his muscles protested. He could still feel some of the pain from the nightmare. Not much, but enough to give him a headache and, if past experience was anything to judge by, several large bruises on his abdomen.

Bruce gave him a worried glance before gesturing for Percy to follow him. He ran out of the Quin-jet and Percy followed right on his heels. As he stepped out, he could see that it was still dark, just a couple hours after midnight. In the light of the full moon, Percy could see the rest of the team standing in a semi-circle around the jet's ramp. He hurried to stand next to Steve, who was staring intently into the surrounding corn. Tony was on his right and had his suit on but hadn't yet donned his helmet. Natasha and Clint were on Steve's left, with their weapons drawn and ready. Mrs. O'Leary and Bruce stood just behind the line. The hellhounds hackles were raised, and she was growling softly.

"What are we looking at, Steve?" Percy asked softly, staring into the corn intently.

The soldier replied in an equally soft tone. "About ten minutes ago, several… dracaena?" The man paused hesitantly. "Yeah, dracaena slithered out of the corn. Nat was on watch, but before she could do anything, they went straight back in. Since then, we've seen a few shadows through the corn, but nothing's attacked yet." He finally glanced at Percy. "What took you so long?"

Percy shrugged. "Bruce couldn't wake me. Bad demigod dream, I'll tell you after. Those dracaena aren't going to leave. They probably just went for backup."

Steve nodded in agreement. Percy slowly pulled Riptide from his pocket but left it in pen form. Any noise right now was unwelcome.

After a few tense minutes, Percy glimpsed a figure approaching through the rows of corn. He squinted, trying to make it out, but before he could, it moved sideways, disappearing from his view. "Someone's coming," he hissed. He felt the tension rise as the team prepared for a fight.

Suddenly, a burst of harsh laughter burst out from the corn field in front of him, and he flinched.

"Who's there?" he called, masking any nervousness he felt as he uncapped Riptide. It expanded with a small _shink_ and Percy was grateful for the little light it provided. Natasha raised her daggers, Clint nocked an arrow to his string, Steve brought his shield up from where he'd rested it at his side, and Tony brought up his repulsors. Everyone's eyes were scanning the field, searching for the tiniest movement.

Suddenly, a small _hiss_ split the air and an arrow seemed to materialize in Percy's right arm. He screamed, dropping Riptide and clutching his arm. Mrs. O'Leary barked in surprise and anger as she saw her friend hurt. A moment later, a wave of pain crashed over him, and he sank to his knees, groaning. His vision grew blurry, going dark for a moment, and by the time it had cleared, Bruce was at his side, a worried expression on his face. Steve was standing in front of him, shield raised protectively over the two of them.

Percy was panting, and he tried desperately to slow his breathing. He glanced at his arm and noticed that the arrow had already been removed. However, his bicep now had a large hole just below his shoulder. Another wave of pain hit him, and he gasped, clenching his eyes shut and furrowing his brow in pain. Bruce's hands around his shoulders were the only thing keeping him from face-planting on the ground as his muscles spasmed. He heard a low whine and he allowed a small smile to touch his face. He reached out and felt Mrs. O'Leary's fur. "I-I'm alright girl," he grunted through clenched teeth. "It's just a scratch."

He almost missed the soothing voice echoing from the corn.

"My, my Perseus, you've certainly grown up."

Percy forced his eyes open and lifted his head towards the voice's source. He knew that voice. It had been a long time, he was sure, and there was something about the sickly, sweet tone that sent shivers racing up his spine.

Before he could think about it too hard, the pain spiked again, burning this time and spreading even farther. He gritted his teeth to keep from making a sound and struggled to stand. However, Bruce firmly refused to let him stand, forcing him to remain on his knees. Percy shot him a quick glare but a call from Clint had his eyes darting to the field in front of the archer.

Finally, about twenty feet away from the eight of them, a woman in a black dress stepped into their line of sight. The only thing Percy could make out in the moonlight was her toothy grin. He squinted at her approaching form. Why couldn't he see her fa- _oh no,_ Percy thought. Dread filled his body as he noticed the dark veil covering the woman's face.

He could see Bruce's worried expression when he saw the blood drain from the teen's face. "What's wrong?" the doctor whispered. "Who is she?"

All Percy could think to say was "I kinda… cut her head off."

The confused look on Bruce's face would have made him laugh at almost any other moment, but now he was in too much pain to enjoy it. His vision swam as a wave of nausea hit him. He could barely see straight now, but he knew he was right when he heard that sweet laugh. 

"Ah, little son of Poseidon. You don't look so good." Her accent was exactly as he remembered it. "The poison always amazes me with its effectiveness."

Percy froze. _Is this… gorgon's blood?_ he thought. The woman was out in the open now, not ten feet away. Steve raised is shield threateningly, and Clint pulled his arrow back to full draw. "That's close enough!" Steve called, but she ignored him. She seemed to notice the horrified expression on Percy's face and she laughed again.

"Oh don't worry, dear. That isn't gorgon's blood. That's a little gift from your friend Thorn. I'm afraid my master was quite specific when he said he wanted you alive. However, he didn't say anything about your companions." She turned to the rest of the team, finally acknowledging their presence. She took an audible breath through her nose and suddenly tensed. Percy could see the surprise in her posture before she erupted into cackling laughter.

"Mortals!" she laughed. "Not a single demigod! Oh, this should be easy."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Clint said, still with his arrow at the ready.

"And why shouldn't I be?" she asked, amusement clear in her voice. "You don't even know who I am, do you?"

"Old grandma late for a funeral?" Tony guessed sarcastically.

"I am one of the most feared people in all of Ancient Greece!" she screamed in anger. "Priestess of Athena and lover of Poseidon! Then one night cursed me forever!" Her hands started moving towards her veil, and Percy's eyes widened. "I AM-"

"COVER YOUR EYES!" Percy screamed, closing his own. The rest of the Avengers didn't hesitate to avert their own gazes, Percy's tone left no room for argument.

"-MEDUSA!" she finished, screaming her name into the cool night air. Percy heard the loud hissing of dozens of snakes, and he knew she had removed her veil. Looking now was suicide. Careful not to look at her, he stared at the field around them and saw dracaena and hellhounds emerging from the darkness. They were outnumbered at least 5 to 1, probably more. He cursed. "Steve! We've got more incoming!" Steve glanced around and nodded as he saw the other monsters. He turned back to the demigod.

"If we meet her eyes we turn to stone?" he asked. Percy nodded. The soldier glanced at the teen's arm and grimaced. "Alright. You stay back. We'll take care of this." Before he could protest, Steve turned to the others. "Clint keep Medusa back. Don't look at her. Get out your phone and use the reflection. We'll take care of the others. Bruce, take care of Percy. Mrs. O'Leary-" she barked loudly when she heard her name, "protect them. Let's go!" He charged forward, engaging a dracaena with his sharpened shield. The others followed, and soon the monster ranks started shrinking. Percy watched with a slight feeling of pride as he watched them fight.

Clint was periodically checking his phone while he was firing at Medusa. He kept his head turned and would occasionally fire at the other monsters whenever they were about to overwhelm his teammates.

Natasha was weaving through the crowd of monsters, slashing tendons, severing snake trunks and causing havoc. As he watched, Percy saw her take out at least three monsters while they were distracting. They didn't even know what hit them before they were on their way back to Tartarus.

Tony was flying just above the heads of the monsters and, like Clint, helping wherever he was needed while picking off straggling monsters on the outside of the battle one-by-one. Arrows from enemy couldn't do more than scratch his bronze and red armor. Soon enough, all of the dracaena archers were nothing but dust thanks to his repulsors.

Steve, on the other hand, was at the center of the battle. Using his sharpened shield and occasionally his dagger, he was decimating the monster ranks. Hellhounds and dracaena alike fell before him as he waded through. Percy gaped a little in awe. _Is that what I look like during battle?_ he wondered before the pain in his arm drew his attention back to his immediate surroundings.

Mrs. O'Leary was happily taking care of any monster that came remotely close to him and Bruce, who was still examining his arm. Currently she had her jaws locked around another hellhound's throat. Percy had never really appreciated just how big his dog was compared to other hellhounds. He still wondered how Daedalus had managed to befriend her. He gasped again in pain as his shoulder throbbed. The pain was definitely worse than when he'd been scratched at Westover Hall all those years ago.

Suddenly, a flash of gold appeared in the corner of his eye, but before he could move, he felt the distinct touch of a sharp blade resting on his throat. He immediately froze, and on his right, Bruce quickly stood, staring at the owner of the very pointy, dangerous sword.

"What are you doing?" he said angrily, and Percy could have sworn he saw the veins on the doctor's neck go slightly green.

"Step away, mortal," a deep, male voice from close behind Percy said smoothly. "This is a family matter." The sword was pressed harder to Percy's neck and he tensed.

Bruce reluctantly stepped away, and Percy felt the blade shifting slightly as its owner moved around him. When he finally stepped into Percy's view, Percy narrowed his eyes. He glared up at the familiar golden gorgon mask above him. He tried to stand, but the point dug deeper into his throat, forcing him to remain on his knees.

"Why hello, brother," Chrysaor drawled. "Long time no see."

"Chrysaor." Percy matched his mocking tone. "Long way from the Mediterranean, aren't you?"

The man shrugged. "To catch his prey, even a pirate most sometimes go ashore."

"Where's you 'fearless' crew?" Percy asked. "Too scared of Dionysus to stay with you?" He gasped as the sword dug even deeper. Percy felt it pierce the skin, and a line of blood started trickling down his neck. Behind them, the sounds of battle were subsiding.

"You will _pay_ for that day, brother," Chrysaor snarled. "They were the perfect crew, and now they are too terrified to even see me."

Percy grinned. "That was actually one of my better plans. I'm quite proud of it personally."

An angry growl echoed from under the helmet. A quick flash of his sword and Percy's left arm was left with a large gash. He groaned slightly but refused to make any other noise. He just directed a hate-filled glare at the monster before him as he returned the sword to his still-bleeding throat.

"If Lord Tartarus had not commanded you be brought alive, boy, I would kill you right here and n-"

Suddenly, a flash of green crossed Percy's vision, and the sword disappeared from his throat. He turned his head and saw Chrysaor crashing to the ground twenty feet away, and standing between them was…

Percy whistled softly. Bruce hadn't been exaggerating at all when he told them about the Hulk. He was giant, green, and, Percy had to admit it, terrifying. As the Hulk advanced on the groaning Chrysaor, Percy turned his attention to his injuries.

He groaned as another wave of pain sprouted from his shoulder. Bruce had already bandaged that one as best he could. He grabbed another bandage from the bag beside him and wrapped it around his other arm. He winced as the fabric came in contact with the wound. He then delicately prodded his neck, examining the cut. It was small, and had already started clotting, though the blood trail was starting to make its way down his chest. He gave it a quick swipe with a bandage and called it good.

By the time he looked up, the battle was almost completely over. Tony was mopping up the final fleeing monsters with some help from Mrs. O'Leary, Steve was helping Clint, throwing his shield at Medusa just based on his hearing. Her snakes did make a bit of noise so that probably helped.

Natasha was running over to were he'd last seen Hulk. He looked over and… oh gods. Hulk had Chrysaor by the leg and was smashing him on the ground repeatedly. Percy winced in sympathy after a particularly hard one. After a few more smashes, Hulk left the beat-up man laying in the dirt and looked around furiously. Percy was worried he was going to destroy the jet. Then, Natasha got close enough to him and started talking softly to him. The Hulk seemed to calm down, and Percy watched in fascination as he gave her his arm.

Then a groan from the beaten and bloody form on the ground caught his attention. He stood with difficulty and stumbled over to Chrysaor's broken form. It was sad really. The man's sword was nowhere to be seen, and half of his armor had been ripped off. His helmet… was gone too.

Percy met his brother's eyes that were staring out of a deformed face. It was like someone had taken a gorgon's and meshed it with a human's. Tusks were only small numbs at the corners of his mouth, and his hair seemed to be half-normal and half-alive. Not full-on snakes, but they writhed slightly for no reason. But his eyes…

They were just like his. Sea-green, and right now, full of pain. Chrysaor moaned again, and his eyes turned pleading. Percy nodded and drew Riptide. With no regret, he stabbed it into Chrysaor's chest.

Just before the light left his eyes, Percy saw gratitude.

"NOOOOOO!" Medusa's scream erupted across the field and Percy covered his hears. He heard grunts of pain from Steve and Clint before footsteps started rapidly approaching him. He immediately closed his eyes and covered them when he heard a body fall to the ground beside him.

"Chrysaor…" the mumbled name was more caring then Percy thought Medusa could ever be. A pang of sympathy his heart.

"You." Though spoken at the same volume, the tone had changed from loving to murderous in less than a second. Percy heard the hissing draw closer and clenched his eyes shut tighter. He tried to lift Riptide, but a sudden pressure on his right arm had him screaming in pain and he dropped it. He tried blindly to push the hand off, but it only tightened, sending another wave of pain through him. His knees gave out and he would have fallen had the hand not forced him to remain standing. His vision started to go fuzzy and he couldn't think straight.

Then, he felt razor-sharp talons resting on his chest. He tucked his chin against his chest, refusing to look up.

"Oh, Perseus," he heard her say in a soft, gentle tone. "You're hurt. Why don't you open your eyes for me, so I can see how much pain you're in?"

Percy had spent enough time with Piper to recognize charmspeak when he heard it. He fought the urge to open his eyes and shook his head frantically. He heard her cluck her tongue disapprovingly.

"Please, Perseus?" she crooned. "I would just like to see those beautiful green eyes again. Just like your father's. Oh, how you remind me of him!"

Again, Percy fought the temptation, but his eyelids flickered slightly. He heard someone shouting his name, but the sound was muffled, and he could barely hear it over Medusa's soothing tone.

"Come on, my dear. Just open them, and you can see all of your old friends again! Just open them, and you can rest."

"Rest?" Percy mumbled.

"Yes, my dear. Rest. No more worries, no more quests, no more pain. And all you have to do, is open your eyes."

Percy's eyes opened. He stared at his feet and the talons pressed to his chest without seeing them. A hand appeared under his chin, gently lifting it, and he didn't resist.

"What a good boy," was the last thing he heard before a wall of darkness slammed into them.

Percy was thrown backwards and landed on his back, all of the air rushing out of him. By the time he had recovered enough to move, his mind was clearing. He saw Mrs. O'Leary savaging what was left of Medusa's body. Her head was already gone, down the hellhound's throat, and Percy couldn't see much else.

He got to his feet gingerly and stumbled over to her. He was met by the other Avengers. Steve and Clint both had small injuries and Tony had returned at the same time as Mrs. O'Leary. Natasha had a few small scratches and Bruce was officially de-greened. Percy grinned at them, but it slipped of his face when he heard a whimper.

His head whipped over to the hellhound as she whimpered again. Their eyes met, and he immediately rushed to her side.

"Hey, hey, girl. What's wrong?" Percy asked softly. The large hellhound collapsed onto her side, exposing her underbelly. Percy gasped when he saw the darkness slowly leaking out of her stomach. Five puncture wounds showed there, and Percy finally understood. When Mrs. O'Leary had pounced on them to save him, Medusa must have lifted the talons from his chest, plunging them into…

Tears started streaming down his face and he raced to her head, pulling it into his lap as best he could and stroking it. He knew there was nothing he could do to save her, he'd dealt similar wounds to hellhounds before and they all proved fatal. He was soon joined by Steve who began stroking her as well.

"T-Thank you so m-much, girl," Percy choked out. "You've saved me more times than I can count. Thank you for being there for me."

Mrs. O'Leary gave a small bark and managed to lick his face. He laughed hollowly and hugged her nose fiercely.

"I'll never forget you," he whispered. "And tell Quintus I said hi."

Moments later, he was holding nothing, and a puddle of shadow lay in front of him. His heart broke, and he screamed his pain to the Kansas sky. He felt hands on his shoulders as his newest friends comforted him as he said goodbye to one of his oldest.

They stayed that way for a while, comforting him, under the light of the full moon.

 **A/N: I'm really sorry if you all hate me right now.**


	21. Chapter 21: Aftermath

**Heeeey guys! Miss me? Sorry it's been a while, I've been really busy at work and it's been a stressful few days. Thank you to everyone who left comments on Wattpad. I really enjoy reading all of your guys' thoughts and opinions on my writing, though many have been negative since last chapter. I'm sorry about Mrs. O'Leary! Please don't hate me! Enjoy this quick chapter, I'll try to get a longer one done ASAP.**

 **Chapter 21: Aftermath**

Percy sat there on his knees, blankly staring at the puddle of shadow that used to be Mrs. O'Leary. The tears had stopped several minutes ago. He'd run out. Now he was just numb, empty. Steve still knelt next to him, a hand on his shoulder. It was the only thing anchoring him to reality.

 _Why?_ he screamed in his head. _Why do you hate me so much?_ He didn't even know who he was yelling at. His father, Zeus, the Fates, Tartarus? All of them? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he'd failed. Again. Failed to protect one of his friends, and they ended up dying for him.

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Steve felt so helpless. His friend was sitting there, going through the loss of a good friend, and all he could do is sit there with a hand on his shoulder. If just felt so… inadequate.

But what else could he do? Tell him it was going to be okay? Any words right now would sound forced and hollow.

His eyes turned back to the hellhound's final resting place and he felt several tears slip out of his eyes, wetting the bottom edge of his cowl. He'd only spent a few hours getting to know Mrs. O'Leary, but the giant hellhound acted too much like a puppy to be anything but adorable. During his watch, once there was enough moonlight, he'd finally relented to her puppy-dog eyes. He'd removed the bronze edge from his shield and thrown it as far as he could. Even with the Quin-Jet closed, Steve had been surprised when no one heard her barking in excitement as she raced after it. He'd only thrown it a few times, and amazingly it hadn't gotten too slobbery. Afterwards, she'd immediately curled up around him, providing him with a comfy backrest and a warm blanket (her tail) as she drifted off to sleep. Steve had just grinned at her and absently scratched behind her ear for the next couple of hours. By the time Natasha had come out for her watch, he'd been so against waking her that he'd gone to sleep right there. He'd only woken a few hours later because Nat had been shaking him. He'd woken up to see Mrs. O'Leary growling at the fields around them, yet she hadn't moved yet. However once she saw that he was awake, she'd immediately jumped up, pacing along the edge of the corn.

Steve had never seen a dog more loyal than her. As he once again looked at the puddle of shadow, he saw something glinting bronze in the moonlight. He removed his hand from Percy's shoulder and grabbed it, pulling it closer. His movement finally caused Percy to stir, and the teen stared at Steve with blank eyes. As Steve looked back at the object in his hands, he saw little bronze links forged into a dog collar. The tag had a little smiley-face and crossbones on it along with the names _Mrs. O'Leary_ and _Percy Jackson_ along with a phone number. Steve grinned a little when he saw it.

"Beckendorf made it for her." Steve jumped in surprise and turned to see Percy staring at the collar in his hands with an even sadder expression than before. Steve immediately handed the collar to the teen, who continued staring at it. A small grin crossed his face as he ran his fingers over the metal. "He also made her favorite chewing bone. Both had to be celestial bronze. Anything else she would tear through with her teeth and claws easily." His face grew wistful and Steve could tell that he was remembering far better times. "He always took care of her when I was gone. Whether it was a quest, school, or anything. He was her favorite person besides me."

"Sounds like a nice guy," Steve said kindly. "Is he at camp?" Steve knew he'd just messed up when Percy's eyes went back to depressed. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

Percy shook his head. "No, it's alright." Steve watched as he took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself. "It was during the Titan War. A few days before the final battle, Beckendorf, the counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, and I went to destroy Kronos' cruise ship that was set to dock in Manhattan. Trying to even the odds. Everything was going to plan, but then we split up." He gave Steve a small grin. "Stupid idea, I know, but it was the only one we had." His face grew grave again. "He managed to set the charges, but by the time we saw each other, they'd captured him, and I was fighting for my life." He lowered his head in shame. "He wasn't supposed to hit the charges until we'd both escaped into the ocean, so I could protect us, but he told me to go and… I left him. He died. I didn't." A few more tears leaked out of Percy's eyes, and he wiped them away jerkily. "Just like Mrs. O'Leary. Just like Connor. Just like Bob. Damasen. Silena. Luke. Michael. Leo. Zoë. Bianca. Ethan. Castor. Another friend who died because I wasn't strong enough to protect them." This time wen the tears fell, Percy didn't wipe them away. "You know why my mom named me Perseus? He was one of the few heroes that actually got a happy ending. She hoped it would be good luck." He met Steve's eyes, and he was floored by the sheer amount of emotional anguish he could see in them. "How do you think that's going?

Steve sat there in stunned silence as Percy looked back down at the collar. Before he had a chance to say anything, the boy stood and walked back to the Quin-Jet. Steve watched as he ignored the looks the others were sending him, and merely climbed onto the jet. He followed a few moments later, but stopped just before the ramp with the rest of the team.

"Is he alright?" Bruce asked softly as they watched Percy take a seat, placing the collar in his bag before turning away from them.

"He just lost one of his best friends," Clint said. "Do you expect him to be alright?"

Steve ignored the comment. "Physically, he's in pain. I could see the blood all over his arms and a little on his throat. And he didn't get thrown to softly when Mrs. O'Leary…" he trailed off, and there was a moment of awkward silence before he continued. "Mentally, I don't know how the kid's still going. He's been through so much. I honestly wouldn't think any less of him if he refused to go any further right now." Tony gave him a slightly surprised look, but he ignored him, still watching Percy.

"I'll go check on him," Bruce said, and entered the jet before Steve had a chance to stop him. He watched with some slight apprehension as he approached the kid, pulling something out of his bag as he walked.

Suddenly, he was distracted by a bright light around him. At first, he thought the moon had just come out from behind some clouds or something, but when he turned around, he saw three young girls.

He immediately fell into a defensive position, one that was mirrored by Clint, Natasha, and Tony, who was still in his suit. Two of the girls raised silver bows but the youngest, who stood in front of the group, gestured for them to lower them. She stepped forward, and Steve took in her auburn hair and silvery clothes that seemed to be designed for hunting. She looked to be around the age of twelve. When she made eye contact with him, he saw that her eyes were a shocking silver color. And he could have sworn she had a silver halo around her, like the moonlight was hitting her just right.

He didn't lower his shield, however, until she spoke. "Peace mortals." Her voice somehow sounded her age, but was also wise and experienced, like she'd lived forever. "I am Artemis, goddess of the moon and the Hunt."


	22. Chapter 22: Talking to the Moon

**A/N: If you haven't read chapter 21 yet, don't forget to read it first! ENJOY!**

 **Chapter 22: Talking to the Moon**

Percy heard talking outside the Quinjet, but he ignored it. He stared blankly at the piece of ambrosia that had just been placed in his fingers and didn't even wince when he felt gentle fingers pull the bandages away from the cuts on his arms.

He brought the ambrosia up to his mouth and chewed slowly. He was too numb to even focus on the taste. He felt new bandages being wrapped around his injuries and the dull throbbing emanating from his shoulder. Somewhere in the back of his mind Percy knew he should be in a lot of pain, but he couldn't think about anything other than the last pain-filled gaze he'd shared with Mrs. O'Leary, the small whine as she slipped away…

A few more tears slipped down his cheeks. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw who was standing next to him.

"What's up, Kelp Head?" Thalia Grace said softly, a small grin on her face.

After a moment of stunned silence, Percy grabbed the now-smaller girl and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Not much, Pinecone Face," he whispered, his words muffled by her silver jacket's shoulder.

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Bruce walked down the Quinjet's ramp, stealing a glance backwards. Percy still had the girl wrapped in his arms, and it had seemed like they needed some space. He turned back to see the rest of the team standing with two other girls, dressed similarly to the first, in silvery jackets and boots, black pants and bows slung around their shoulders. The younger one, appearing to be twelve, seemed to be in charge, with auburn hair and silvery yellow eyes. The elder, about fifteen, had dirty blonde hair and dark eyes, and was looking at his teammates with something close to disdain.

Bruce approached carefully, noting the slightly tense atmosphere around the group. Once he got close, the auburn-haired girl turned to him and studied him. He continued walking, growing slightly uncomfortable as he moved to stand next to Natasha. There was something about her stare…

His thoughts were interrupted when Steve turned to him. He jerked his head towards the Quinjet and asked, "How's he doing?" with a concerned expression on his face.

Bruce shook his head. "About as well as you said. I managed to get some ambrosia into him and change his bandages, but I don't think he even realized I was there. He's just… empty. Numb."

"Perseus has lost a great deal over the last six years." Bruce's head snapped over to the younger girl who'd spoken. Her eyes were sad as she looked over his shoulder into the Quinjet. "Losing his hellhound seems to have been the last straw. But, that is why I have come. Hopefully my lieutenant will be able to reach him."

Bruce nodded slowly, still not quite understanding. "I'm sorry," he began cautiously, "I don't believe I caught you name?" he asked politely.

She turned to gaze at him evenly. "My apologies, Dr. Banner. My name is Artemis, goddess of the moon and the Hunt."

Bruce blinked slowly. _Oh, another goddess,_ he thought, _that's nice._ After a quick bow, he ignored Tony's snicker and asked, "So you think that girl, sorry, your lieutenant, can really help Percy?"

The goddess nodded. "Thalia is another one of his close friends." A small grin came over her features as she spoke. "And that boy is one of the strongest I have ever met. I have no doubt that with a little time, he will recover."

Tony cut in, raising a finger. "Umm, sorry, but he's a little old to be called a boy, isn't he?"

Artemis switched her stare to the billionaire instead, and Bruce smothered a grin when he instinctively took a small step back. A snort from behind the goddess drew his attention. He saw the older girl also concealing a smirk, and he heard her mutter, "Well since calling him a man would be an insult…"

"Sariah," Artemis interrupted, giving the girl a hard look.

The teen, Sariah, quickly looked down. "Apologies, my Lady."

Artemis turned back to Tony. "When you've lived for millennia, the lives of mortals and demigods become nothing more than blinks of an eye. You are all infants relative to me."

Bruce watched as Steve nodded slowly, and he practically see his mind exploding, similarly to when they'd discovered that the pudgy man in the leopard-print was a god.

His thoughts were interrupted by steps on the ramp and he turned in time to see the third girl, _Thalia,_ he remembered, walking towards them.

She was dressed similarly to Artemis and Sariah with a silver circlet on her head, with jet-black, short, spiky hair and electric-blue eyes.

Thalia inclined her head to Artemis before speaking once she reached them. "He's asleep. We didn't manage to talk much, but I can tell he's exhausted. In more ways than one."

Artemis nodded before turning back to the Avengers. "I'm afraid I can't stay much longer, as the setting of the moon and other matters require my attention. However, I will leave Thalia and Sariah here with you. They will accompany you to California." She turned back to Thalia. "Once you arrive, rejoin the Hunters near Camp Jupiter. I expect you there by sunset tomorrow." The two girls nodded and boarded the Quinjet, and Artemis addressed the team once more. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Understand, mortals, that they are there only to help Perseus, nothing else. Once you land, they will have to leave. My cousin must regrettably face these coming trials without our help."

"What's with that anyways?" Clint burst out, and Natasha and Tony nodded in agreement. "Why does he have to do this alone?"

Steve stepped in as well. "I'm sorry, ma'am, we just find it strange that Percy has to face this all alone when, from what we've seen, you guys have a whole lot of manpower to spare to help."

Artemis' face, which had grown angered, softened slightly. She sighed. "Do not let appearances fool you. We have been weakened severely by the wars we have fought throughout these past few years. We only defeated Gaia and her giants a year ago. The demigods, my Hunters, and Amazons all suffered great losses. Many of the gods are still recovering from the battles. I myself only managed to come in person because of the full moon, but as it sets, I will have to return to my Hunt." Her silver eyes grew sad as she gazed into the Quinjet. "We cannot interfere with what the Fates have set in motion. I wish it weren't Perseus, but it almost always is." She turned to face the team. "Take care of him. He is by far one of the most decent men I have ever met. Now, close your eyes, mortal heroes, and good luck." Bruce closed his eyes and turned his head, but he still saw the bright flash through his eyelids.

When Bruce opened his eyes again, they were alone. When he looked up, the moon seemed a little brighter, but it had nearly set. The sun would rise in an hour or so, and the eastern horizon was already turning grey. He turned to his teammates.

"So what now?" Tony asked.

Steve sighed. "We fly to California, and hope we can help the kid on the way."

"What did he say to you over there?" Natasha asked him, gesturing over to where Mrs. O'Leary had died. Bruce, who had been walking over to Quinjet, immediately turned back to hear Cap's response. He'd seen the two talking, but he hadn't managed to get a single word out of Percy while he was treating him.

Bruce could see Steve's eyes sadden. "I found Mrs. O'Leary's collar and he told me about the friend who made it for him. Said his name was Beckendorf, and he was the counselor of the Hephaestus cabin."

Bruce could see the confusion on Tony's face. "But I thought Nyssa was the couns-"

The look on Steve's face cut Tony off, and understanding hit Bruce like a punch to the gut. He saw his reaction mirrored among the other Avengers.

"Oh," Tony finished softly.

"Yeah," Steve agreed. The super-soldier ran his fingers through his hair. "Apparently it happened during the Titan War, when he was sixteen. The guy sacrificed himself for Percy."

"Just like Mrs. O'Leary," Clint added quietly. Steve nodded.

"Yeah, and then…" Steve paused and swallowed hard, "he listed at least ten names, maybe more, of friends that he's lost. And if those were only the close friends-" 

"Then there were probably a bunch more that he didn't say," Nat concluded in a sympathetic tone.

Steve nodded. "And he blames himself. For a lot of it. It was hard to watch, honestly, but I was so shocked… I didn't say anything." They all could see the guilt in his face. Bruce stepped forward and rested his hand on the man's shoulder.

"I don't think anything you could've said would have made a difference," he said, trying to comfort Steve. "That wound is too fresh. He needs a little more time. Hopefully, this Thalia will be able to help us get through to him."

Steve nodded and took another deep breath. Bruce nodded in approval before checking over the rest of the team's injuries. They all looked fine, and all of their minor injuries had already been cared for. After he finished, they walked into the Quinjet to find Thalia and Sariah sitting quietly directly across from Percy as the teen slept. Bruce walked over and checked his injuries. The small cut on his neck was already almost completely gone, and the arrow wound and sword cut were healing correctly.

Percy barely even twitched in his sleep as he checked him over, a fact Bruce was grateful for. He was also very aware of the way the two girls were watching his every move, especially the dark-haired one, Thalia. By the time he'd finished, Clint and Natasha were lifting them out of the field, and they were speeding towards California.

Tony and Steve were talking quietly in the back of the jet, and Bruce remained in his seat next to Percy, trying to look everywhere but the two Hunters. The awkward silence was really uncomfortable.

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

"We can't leave him Steve," Tony whispered intensely. "This kid's been through too much." 

"You don't think I know that?" Steve whispered back furiously. "I was the one who saw the haunted expression on his face when he said those names! It was…" Steve paused as he took a shuddering breath. "It was scary, Tony. It was like he'd given up hope of ever getting his happy ending."

That shut Tony up. He looked at Steve with pity, but all Steve could see was the empty look in Percy's face when he turned back and asked, _"How do you think that's going?"_ Steve shuddered. No one, especially a teen Percy's age, should ever have that look in their eyes.

"Look, Tony, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. We have to stop Tartarus, even if… even if it's not what's best for us, or Percy."

Steve could see Tony's eyes darken and the billionaire opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, the Quinjet jerked violently, sending both of them flying into the ramp, which, thankfully, was up. Steve quickly scrambled to his feet and raced to the cockpit, where Nat and Clint were wrestling with the controls as they flew through a- where the heck did this storm come from?

"Natasha?" he called.

"Working on it Rogers!" she responded, not even sparing him a glance. "This thing came out of nowhere!"

Suddenly, Steve felt another presence at his shoulder, and he turned to see one of the girls, Thalia, at his shoulder. She was glaring out of the windshield at the storm like it had personally wronged her.

Another bout of turbulence had Steve quickly bracing himself against the wall. A thud behind him told him that Tony hadn't been as lucky. A shout from behind him confirmed his suspicions.

"Why does it feel like Thor is hitting us repeatedly with his hammer?" the man shouted furiously. Steve was about to respond when he heard a soft voice beside him.

"My father doesn't appreciate that we've brought Percy into the sky." Steve turned to look at Thalia in surprise that she'd spoken with such venom in her voice.

"Your father?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She met his eyes and he was once again shocked by how blue her eyes were. They were even more shocking than his. She gave him a small smirk.

"Zeus, of course," she answered. "God of the sky, and king of the gods. He also hates Percy."

Steve took a moment to process that.

"Wait, are you the one who turned into a tree?" he heard Tony ask from behind them. Now that he mentioned it, Steve did remember Percy mentioning a daughter of Zeus turning into a pine tree. He'd covered it during his ten-minute summary at Avengers Tower. It felt like forever ago, but it hadn't even been a week. He shook his head in disbelief as Thalia continued.

"But I'm also his daughter so we don't have to worry about him slapping us out of the sky, which is why he chose to take Mrs. O'Leary to Kansas." She threw a concerned look over her shoulder at Percy, and a small grin covered her face. "He's really self-sacrificing like that."

Steve grinned back. "Yeah, we noticed," he replied, thinking of how, when they'd first met him, he'd sacrificed his freedom to keep Annabeth away from them.

As the turbulence continued, they managed to stumble back into seats and secure themselves. They managed to finally introduce themselves and Steve was surprised to find that Sariah actually knew who he was, as she had been born in the 1600s, and also hated men. A useful bit of information.

They continued talking, and Thalia told them the stories of some of her adventures with Percy. Steve was enjoying himself, despite the turbulence.

An hour or so later, a yell erupted in the small space, startling them all. The turbulence had died down to an occasional jolt, and it made the sound even more shocking. Everyone's head turned to Percy, who was jerking around in his restraints, throwing his head every which way. Steve could see his eyes moving under his eyelids from his seat across the aisle.

Thalia was at her cousin's side in a second, releasing him from his seatbelt and laying him on the floor of the jet. She struggled to keep him still and Steve joined her.

But before they could even try to wake him up, a startled cry from Bruce drew their eyes to Percy's chest. Steve gasped when he saw a bloodstain. It was small, but it was growing. He turned to Bruce. "He's bleeding! Help him!"

But Bruce was frozen. "He- he wasn't bleeding there before."

Steve froze. _What?_


	23. Chapter 23: Time For Answers

**A/N: Hey guys! I haven't done an author's note for a while. I just have two things I wanted to tell you all. One, I finally sat my butt down and wrote a long chapter, so you're welcome, and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL! We have officially hit 100,000 VIEWS! Cookies for everyone! Thank you all for the love and support. And thank you to Skate815freckles, SweetRose17, and the best roommate EVER! Good luck girl! This chapter is for you three! I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 23: Time for Answers**

Percy was thrashing now. Tony had joined Steve in holding his body down, trying to prevent any further injury. The billionaire looked worriedly at the teen's face, where he could see Thalia frantically trying to wake him. The bloodstain on his chest was spreading rapidly, and it was taking everything Tony had just to hold one of his arms. Clint had rushed back from the cockpit and grabbed the other arm, and Sariah and Steve had the legs. Bruce was putting pressure on the chest wound to ensure he couldn't buck and make it worse.

Tony flashed back to the Hulk cell where they'd all been in similar reactions during Percy's flashback. He really hoped it wasn't going to become a weekly thing. JARVIS still had to help him through the occasional panic attack, and he knew from experience how straining frequent panic attacks could be.

Thalia had now resorted to slapping Percy in the face, but his eyes stayed clenched shut, though Tony could see them moving rapidly under his eyelids. Whatever Percy was seeing, it was clearly terrifying. And if this kid had faced down gods, monsters and literal _Hell_ , Tony didn't even want to know.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shout from Thalia. "Let him go!" Sariah immediately stood and backed away, and Percy's now-free leg nearly caught Steve in the chin before he wrestled it under control.

Tony stared at her in shock. If they let him go, there was no telling what he would do to himself. Bruce seemed equally confused.

"Why?" the doctor asked. "He'll hurt himself!"

"I'm going wake him up. Anyone who doesn't want to get hit by a small lightning shock back up!"

"You're going to hit him with lightning?!" Tony asked incredulously. The shock could put too much strain on his already rapidly-beating heart and kill him!

Thalia met his eyes with a stern glare. "You have any other ideas, Stark?"

He didn't. That was part of the problem. He looked at Steve questioningly and the soldier nodded, acceptance on his face. A glance at Clint told him the archer agreed as well. Bruce was reluctant, but nodded.

"On three?" Steve asked, and Thalia nodded.

"One… Two… THREE!" Tony released Percy's arm and jumped back with Cap and Clint. Immediately, Percy's thrashing intensified. Thalia barely kept her grip on his shoulders. Tony watched as her eyes closed and a fierce look of concentration came over her face.

His fingers twitched nervously as the seconds dragged on, and he couldn't help but look at Percy's pained face. Then, Thalia's eyes shot open and a blue shock, similar to Thor's lightning strikes, but on a smaller scale, traveled from her fingers to Percy's body. His muscles seized for a moment, and a scream erupted from his mouth before he fell to the ground limp. Bruce hurried forward, placing two fingers on the teen's neck, trying to find a pulse. A few tense moments passed before relief spread across the doctor's face, and the room immediately relaxed. "Pulse is a little weak, but it's steady," Bruce said. This time, an audible sigh of relief came from nearly everyone in the room. Clint hurried to the cockpit to tell Natasha what had happened, and everyone else watched as Bruce gently pulled up Percy's now-bloodstained orange shirt.

But before the wound was uncovered, Percy shot upright. He leapt to his feet and backed into the wall, chest heaving and eyes wild. Tony stepped back unintentionally, worried that he would scare the boy even more. A glance around told him everyone else had done the same.

Thalia approached Percy slowly as stared at them. His eyes were still crazed, like a cornered animal. Tony's heart hurt as he watched the boy stare at them like they were total strangers. He hadn't known the demigod for very long, but he cared for the teen. They all did. He could see it on the pained expression on Cap's face, in the fact that Bruce had Hulked out to save him, in how Clint was acting like a concerned parent for some reason, and even how Natasha had immediately rushed back when she heard the commotion after putting the ship on auto-pilot. At this point, turbulence was the least of their worries.

Turning back to Percy, he saw that Thalia had managed to get within a few steps of him, and had her hands out in a peaceful gesture. She was murmuring assurances to him as she drew closer.

"Hey Perce. You're okay. Come on, Kelp Head, you're hurt. Let us help you." She took another two steps but stopped when he tensed. "Percy, calm down. We're going to take care of you, and then we'll go find Annabeth."

 _Annabeth_ was the magic word. As soon as he heard her name, Percy's muscles lost their tension and his eyes grew clearer. "Annabeth?" he whispered. Thalia nodded.

"That's right, Seaweed Brain, but first you have to let us help you. Come on, you know I'm right. You're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you." 

The fight went out of Percy's eyes and he allowed Thalia to wrap her arms around him and slowly lowered them both into seats. Tony didn't miss Percy's wince as he moved. Bruce and Steve approached slowly, with Steve taking the right-side seat and Bruce crouching in front of him.

Tony watched as Percy looked at the two Avengers and saw the recognition in his face. "H-hey Bruce. Hey Steve. S-sorry you had to see that."

Steve was quick to console him. "Don't worry, kid. We get it and we're here for you."

"Do you mind if I check your chest Percy?" Bruce asked softly. "I need to treat it before it gets worse."

Percy nodded, and didn't resist as Bruce gently coaxed his shirt up. The only reaction was a wince as the fabric pulled at the dried blood. The bloodstain on his chest was now larger than an apple and still growing gradually.

As the wound was uncovered, Tony was shocked by how much blood there was. He winced as he watched Bruce gently wiped it away, but his attention was quickly drawn to the cut itself.

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He heard Bruce let out a gasp and Clint froze before letting out a curse. Natasha's face became stone. Steve looked at them in confusion before standing and coming to stand by Tony. Once the soldier looked again, his face instantly fell.

Tony only barely registered his team's reaction. His attention was on the bloody cut in the center of Percy's chest. It wasn't huge or deep, no bigger than Tony's hand but clearly painful. But the worst part was the design.

At first look, it looked like a random set of lines. But after a few seconds, you saw the brutality of it.

A large _T_ was now engraved on Percy's chest. The angles and positions of the cuts were too perfect to be coincidental.

 _T for Tartarus_ , Tony thought darkly. Somehow, Tartarus must have done this to Percy. Tony cursed mentally. _And probably caused him to have that fit too._

"P-Percy?" Bruce's stuttering whisper startled Tony out of its thoughts and he focused on Bruce's pale face. "What happened?"

Percy's shoulders slumped, and Tony saw the exhaustion on his face double before he dropped his gaze. He seemed to be completely conscious and coherent now, but Tony wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Then he said one name that confirmed Tony's suspicions. "Tartarus." The name seemed to chill the air around them. Percy continued. "He's been tormenting me in my dreams." The boy managed to look back up at them and meet their eyes. "I already told Steve a bit, but I didn't think it could get this bad." He met Tony's eyes, and Tony saw the hint of fear in the teen's face. "Demigod dreams are bad, sometimes prophetic, but this… this is different."

"How many times, Percy?" Natasha's voice was hard.

He shrugged. "Three or four?" he replied uncertainly. "First time I thought I was just imagining it. It was the night we got to Camp. Since then its just been faint bruises and weird phantom pains. I thought it was all in my head."

Tony saw a look of understanding cross Bruce's face. "Last night, when I tried to wake you. It was another one of those dreams, huh? I could tell you were in pain and it took several minutes to wake you."

Percy nodded. "That was when I was sure that something was wrong. But I couldn't say anything because Medusa..."

"…attacked before you could," Steve finished for him. An awkward silence filled the room before Steve spoke again. "Did you see Annabeth again?"

Percy nodded, a small smile flitting across her face as he turned to Thalia. "She's alright. Thorn hit her with a spine a few days ago but she's healed from that. She's picked the locks on her chains, so once we make a move, so will she."

As soon as Percy said Annabeth was alright, Tony could see some of the tension and worry flow out of Thalia's shoulders. Mentally, he raised his eyebrows. They must have been close.

They hit another spot of turbulence and Percy stiffened, his eyes widening in fear. "Wait!" he cried. "Are we flying?"

A laugh erupted from beside him. "Seriously Perce? I don't think my dad hates you enough to take me down with you." Everyone laughed as Thalia smirked at Percy.

Percy visibly relaxed and he gave his cousin a look. "Hey, don't act like you're happy to be up here either. After all, you're the one who's afraid of…"

"Shut it, Kelp Head!" Thalia snapped.

"Pinecone Face!" Percy retaliated.

Bruce turned to the group. "As entertaining as this is, do you guys mind? A little room to breathe would be nice. We can finish interrogating and teasing Percy later."

Though he would've preferred to hear more, Tony moved to the back of the jet. Natasha and Clint returned to the cockpit, Steve took a seat near Percy and Bruce in case help was needed, and Thalia ended up near him while Sariah returned to her seat.

Tony watched Thalia out of the corner of his eyes. She was watching Bruce tend to Percy closely, and her expression hadn't quite lost it's suspicious edge. Tony had a feeling that if he did anything to hurt Percy, they would see another demonstration of her Thor powers, but on a bigger scale. Tony was glad they didn't have to worry about it.

"Sooooo…" he began awkwardly. He almost stopped when she turned her gaze to him. "You turned into a tree?" he said as he sat down. He relaxed a little when she let out a small laugh at his bluntness and sat next to him.

"Yeah," she replied. "It was definitely an experience."

"Can I ask why?" he asked tentatively, trying not to be too invasive, but not exactly knowing how.

Thalia's eyes darkened. "Did Percy tell you about our father's agreement with Hades not to have kids?"

Tony shrugged. "I understood the basics."

She continued. "Well, my mother was a famous actress when she met Zeus, and I guess he couldn't help himself. I was born-"

"Wait," Tony interrupted. "Your last name is Grace, right? Grace as in Beryl Grace?"

This time, Tony was sure he heard thunder when the demigod's eyes darkened. "Never mind!" he said quickly. "You were saying?"

She shot him a glare and continued. "My birth broke my father's oath on the River Styx. When you break it, you are given a fate worse than death, but because my father's a god, he can't really get a curse. So instead…"

"You were the one that got hurt," Tony finished. He looked at her sadly. _Did Percy have to deal with this too?_ He thought.

Thalia nodded. "I ran away when I was seven after my brother went missing. I met a son of Hermes, Luke Castellan, and we joined together. Then we found seven-year-old Annabeth and ended up taking her with us. We were on the run, trying to survive with monsters chasing us endlessly. We were finally found by a satyr named Grover, and he brought us to camp, but we were being chased. Hades had sent all three Furies, hellhounds and Cyclopes after us, all trying to kill me. But we were so tired, I knew we weren't going to make it." Tony didn't need to hear how the story ended. "I turned back, and I fought. Luke, Annabeth and Grover made it, but I was… hurt." Tony watched as she shivered. "But before I was gone, my father turned me into a tree. I don't remember much, but everything slowed down, and I couldn't think. I didn't age right either. Technically, I should be in my twenties, but I only aged half as fast as I should have, and I haven't grown at all since I joined Artemis' Hunt. And the rest is history."

Tony just stood there, completely dumb for a few moments. When he'd asked how she'd turned into a tree, he hadn't expected her entire life story. He was kind of honored that she'd told him all of that. He decided to try and change the subject. "Also, Percy said your dad is a total drama queen. Your thoughts?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow at him as they hit an extra-violent spot of turbulence. "Did you seriously just call the god of the sky a drama queen while in a jet in the middle of a storm?"

Tony shrugged, glad he could relieve some of the tension. "I specialize in making powerful people mad."

Thalia laughed. "I can see that." Her voice grew solemn, though, when she continued. "Truthfully, Percy's seen Zeus as many times as I have, maybe more. From the second I was born, monsters have hunted me because of him, and yet I've met him two, maybe three times?" As she spoke, her voice had gotten progressively louder and she grew more frustrated. At one point, Tony was certain he'd seen sparks flickering through her fingers and he leaned away slightly.

Once she was finished, she turned met his eyes and her cheeks flushed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to go off like that. It's just frustrating sometimes." She looked at her hands in her lap and Tony was reminded that she was technically only sixteen. She might be a punk, Greek, female Thor power-wise, but she was still a kid.

Tony raised his hand to put it on her shoulder, but then lowered it awkwardly. To his relief he didn't think she'd noticed. "Hey, I was never hunted by monsters on a daily basis, but I think I get your frustration with your dad." She looked at him, with skepticism all over her face. "Don't give me that look, this is hard enough as it is," he defended himself. "I'm not to great at the touchy-feely stuff." Tony rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. "Look, growing up, I was pretty much spoiled. I had everything I needed, and everyone believed I was a genius and told me I was amazing. That is, except my father." He glanced at Thalia out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was watching him intently. "He was cold, distant. I can't ever remember him telling me he loved me." Tony had to fight to get past the lump in his throat. All of his problems seemed so miniscule compared to being constantly hunted. But he kept going. "Howard Stark was good at a lot of things, but he was a crappy father." He gave a small laugh and looked at Thalia again. "I've never admitted this to anyone, and I don't entirely understand why I'm telling you now. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I kind of understand what you're going through." He made to stand, but he felt a strong hand on his arm, keeping him sitting. He looked at Thalia and was surprised to see the sympathy in her eyes. It was hidden behind several layers, but it was there. He relaxed back into his seat.

"Hey," she said, a playful smirk forming on her face, "if it makes you feel any better, I don't think you turned out too bad, for a man. I mean, you could have turned out a lot worse."

Tony chuckled slightly. "I'm just glad I met you guys now, rather than eight years ago. You would have hated me."

"You're probably right," Thalia agreed. She leaned against the back of her seat, eyes closing and face relaxed. Tony was about to leave when heard she made one last comment. "Thanks for listening Tin Can. You seem like a good guy."

Tony tried to ignore how his heart beat a little faster at that comment. After spending the majority of his career as the 'Merchant of Death', comments like that were few and far between. Too many people had been hurt by weapons that he'd created, himself included. He absently rubbed the glowing arc reactor on his chest as he stood and moved back to the front of the jet. "But if you hurt Percy, I'll stick you with so many arrows you'll look like a pincushion." Tony felt his face pale slightly at the threat, but he grinned.

"Thanks for the warning. Anything else?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Nah, just let me know when your Doc is done and is allowing visitors. Seaweed Brain over there and I really need to talk."

 **TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTST**

Steve glanced up at Tony as he settled into the seat next to him before focusing back on Percy. Bruce had given him some ambrosia and was currently bandaging the cuts. Percy was merely sitting there, a blank expression on his face, with only the occasional twitch when the cotton pulled at the wounds.

By the time Bruce finished, Natasha had called back that they were passing over Nevada, and that they would be in San Francisco in less than hour. At this, Tony called Thalia over and she settled on the opposite side of Percy and Bruce sat on the opposite side of the jet near Sariah. The teen barely even acknowledged her presence besides a quick glance in her direction.

"I'm sorry about Mrs. O'Leary, Percy," Thalia said softly. Percy flinched when he heard the hellhound's name. Thalia continued, "I know how much she meant to you." Steve watched Percy's face carefully as she spoke. He was alarmed to see the growing anger and pain in his eyes. "Artemis told us what happened, and I know that's how she would have wanted-"

Percy abruptly stood and stepped away. After a stunned moment, Thalia copied him, while the rest of them watched. "Percy?" Steve tentatively asked.

"Percy talk to us," Thalia said sternly when he remained silent.

"What do you want me to say, Thalia?" Percy rounded on the daughter of Zeus furiously. "That I'm ok? That I'll keep going? That I'm not upset?" His eyes were wide and angry, but Steve could still see some tears forming.

"No," Thalia responded with an equal amount of fire in her voice. "I want to understand that I'm trying to help you! I'm trying to help you face the fact that this happened." 

"You don't think I know that it happened?" Percy yelled. "I held her as she died, as the life drained out of her. The same as I've watched so many others die! And it's all I can think about! I don't need your help with that!"

"Maybe you don't," Thalia replied. "But you definitely need help accepting it."

"Accepting what?" Percy was screaming now, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Accept the fact that I'm a demigod? The fact that everyone I love has a target on their back? Or maybe how even getting close to me gets you a guaranteed trip to Hades?"

Steve felt like an intruder on a private moment, and a glance at Tony and Bruce told him they felt the same. He wished he could join Clint and Nat in the cockpit, but any movement at this point would just draw attention to him.

"Accept that these things happen!" Thalia screamed right back. "I know you Percy. I know that you blame yourself for everything, beat yourself up because you couldn't save everyone. Accept that you can't, Percy! You may be half-god but you're still human, and you're sure as heck not perfect. Mrs. O'Leary died because she wanted you to live. So did Connor, so did Bob, and so did Damasen." Thalia's voice softens when she sees Percy's face as she lists off the names. "They believed you were worth it."

"Why?" Percy's voice was soft, almost broken. "Why me? Why does everyone look to me? Why-" Percy's voice broke, and he had to take a moment before he could speak again. "Why is it that when I fail, everyone else pays the price?"

"Because you're the best of us Percy. None of us have your heart or your power. Everyone knows it, except you."

 **A/N: I feel like I made Thalia a little OOC, and I apologize for that, but I felt like it was necessary. Hope you liked it everyone, and don't forget to REVIEW! They motivate me to post faster!**


	24. Chapter 24: Talking to Future In-Laws

**Chapter 24: Talking to Future In-Laws**

Natasha finally heard silence fall in the back of the Quinjet, and she gave a small sigh in relief. She hadn't been able to make out everything, but she'd heard enough. She turned to Clint, gave him a small nod, and slowly walked into the cargo area.

If the situation had been any different, she would have laughed. The looks of pure discomfort on Bruce, Tony, and Steve's faces were priceless comedy. However, the setting was anything but. Percy and Thalia were a few feet apart, facing each other. Based on the yelling she had heard, Nat had expected Percy to be shaking with anger, not suppressed sobs.

The boy's face was crumpling, and he turned away from all of them. Thalia was looking at him with concern, but also a small amount of satisfaction. Natasha caught her eye and understood. She'd had to break down the walls Percy had built around himself, and it hadn't been pretty. Regrettable, yes, but necessary.

Natasha cleared her throat, announcing her presence to the room. She pretended not to notice Percy furiously wiping at his face and drew all attention to her. "We're basically there, but Clint and I need a more precise destination than just 'San Francisco'."

Steve looked at her gratefully, before turning serious. "We need to find somewhere close by, where we can regroup and plan. Any ideas?"

Tony shrugged. "My closest house is in Malibu."

Natasha leveled a glare at the billionaire, but he had unfortunately been building an immunity to some of her glares and he ignored her. Before she could reply with a well-deserved insult, a soft voice cut in.

"Professor Chase." Everyone looked at Percy in surprise, who was still facing away from them. Natasha watched closely as he inhaled deeply and turned around slightly, still facing at an angle. She could just see the left side of his face. The sliver she could see was slightly red, but currently it was calm and collected. "It's time we let Annabeth's dad know what happened."

 **NSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

The front door of the Chase home opened quickly, and Steve didn't have time to register anything before two blonde blurs came sprinting out and collided with Percy's legs. He nearly dropped into a defensive stance before his brain registered the fact that Percy wasn't being attacked, but merely hugged fiercely by two sandy-haired boys. Percy was grinning wider than Steve had ever seen him and he bent over to hug the two kids.

"We missed you, Percy!" one of the boys yelled. They looked to be about ten or eleven and were definitely twins.

"I missed you guys too," Percy replied fondly. Steve wanted to hug the two boys himself for helping Percy smile that big. A glance at Bruce beside him told him that he wasn't alone. They were all in civilian clothes, and everyone else had remained at private landing strip not far away that Tony had commandeered for the Quinjet. The Hunters had left quickly, as Tony had been one comment away from receiving an arrow from Sariah's bow. Percy'd managed to convince most of the team to stay there, as to not draw any more attention than necessary, and they'd rented a car. Percy had driven them there with enough confidence that Steve knew the boy'd been there before, but a look at the demigod's face had been enough for Steve to figure out that it might not be a good topic.

"Percy! What a surprise!" A pretty middle-aged Asian woman stepped out of the house and embraced Percy, being careful not to squash the two-year-old girl in her arms. She was squealing "Perce!" over and over again with a huge smile on her face.

Percy returned the hug. "Hey Mrs. C., it's been a little while." He gave her a tired grin. The woman, who Steve assumed must be Annabeth's stepmother, eagerly looked behind Percy, as if looking for someone. Her face grew confused when all she saw was Steve and Bruce. She looked back at Percy with questions in her eyes, but before she could ask any Steve stepped forward and stuck out his hand.

"Steve Rogers, ma'am. A pleasure to meet you." She blinked a few times and her mouth opened slightly as she shook his hand, stuttering a quick "Alison Chase," but she recovered from the surprise faster than most. Faster than her sons, anyway, who were looking at him like he was from another planet. Bruce introduced himself as well and she quickly ushered them inside.

She guided them into the home's living room. "Feel free to sit down. I'll go get Frederick."

"Still playing with his soldiers?" Percy grinned weakly and Mrs. Chase returned the smile.

"Got it in one, Percy. I'll be right back." She left the room after setting the little girl down and giving the twins strict instructions not to bother their guests. A minute after she left, Steve pretended not to notice their stares by looking around the room. There were pictures on the walls of the whole family, with a sandy-haired man's arm wrapped around a younger-looking Annabeth's shoulder, and huge smiles plastered over their faces. There were even a few with Percy in them. One was resting on a small table near the couch he was sitting on with Bruce while Percy sat on the floor with the little girl. The picture showed Percy, Annabeth, and the two twin boys standing in front of a sign that read _SeaWorld_ in large font with pictures of dolphins.

"That's from this summer! Percy and Annabeth took us to SeaWorld for our birthday!" Steve looked up in surprise to see one of the boys standing next to him, looking at the picture. The other twin had gone to play with Percy and who Steve assumed was his little sister, though she looked more like her mother. Currently she was content to curl up in Percy's lap. "It was really fun, and Percy got the dolphins to come over, so we could touch them!" Steve raised an eyebrow at the teen when he heard this, but Percy merely shrugged. _I am so asking him about that later,_ Steve thought before turning back to the boy, who was now staring at him with wide eyes. He mumbled something, and Steve leaned in closer.

"What was that?" he asked curiously.

The boy spoke a little louder this time. "Are you Captain America? My mom and dad say you're a hero. We saw you on TV! Did you really fight aliens?"

Steve grinned at the boy and nodded. "Yes, but you can call me Steve. And yeah, I did fight aliens. And what's your name?"

"I'm Matthew! And that's Bobby, and my little sister Rose!"

"And how old are you Matthew!" Steve asked.

"Twelve!" the boy said proudly. His chest puffed out slightly, but then his eyes widened, and he shot out of the room without another word. Steve was left staring at empty space while Bruce snickered beside him. He shot a small unamused look at the man before turning back to Percy. The teen was relaxed, answering Bobby's rapid questions as fast as he could while gently tickling Rose. She was giggling madly as she tried to scramble away from him, but he kept pulling her back. Eventually she just gave up and latched her arms around his neck in a fierce hug, which he happily returned. Steve just smiled as he watched the three of them, and he felt himself relax slightly.

A moment later, Mrs. Chase entered the room with the sandy-haired man from the photos. Steve immediately stood and shook his hand. "Steve Rogers, and this is my friend. Bruce Banner." Bruce gave a small wave from the couch while the man introduced himself as Professor Frederick Chase. Percy stood with Rose in his arms and Frederick quickly pulled him into a tight hug. When they stepped apart, Frederick looked around the room, clearly searching for someone else, but when he didn't find them, his face grew slightly worried. He turned to his wife. "Alison, could you handle the kids for a little while?" She nodded quickly and gently pulled Rose out of Percy's arms, much to the girl's disappointment.

Steve and Bruce followed Percy and Professor Chase up a flight of stairs that were half-covered in blocks, laundry and random household items. They entered a large study and Frederick quickly guided them all to chairs before taking his own beside Percy. He stared at the two Avengers for a moment before turning back to Percy.

"Quest?" he asked, an expectant expression on his face. Percy nodded in confirmation. "With the Avengers?"

"Yep."

"Saving the world?"

"You know me," Percy smirked. "All in a day's work." 

"Annabeth?"

The temperature in the room dropped immediately. One look at Percy's scared/angry/crestfallen face was the older man needed to guess his daughter's fate. He rubbed his face with his hands before asking in a soft voice, "Is she alive?"

"Yes!" Percy rushed to assure him. "And I swear to you, I will make sure she gets home to you."

Professor Chase looked up and met Percy's eyes, his brown eyes searching for assurance in the demigod's sea-green. After a few moments he broke the eye contact and stood, wiping his face roughly before turning to Steve and Bruce. "Do you need anything?" he asked, determination coming over his face.

Steve turned to Bruce with questioning eyes. Bruce shrugged before replying. "I think we're mostly good, though if Annabeth left behind any demigod stuff I wouldn't mind grabbing some extra ambrosia." He gestured at Percy. "I mean honestly, I've never met anyone so injury-prone, and I have to patch up this self-sacrificing grandpa!" Bruce pointed to Steve, who took the tease in his stride. He'd heard just about every old man joke in existence in the past year-and-a-half. They didn't even phase him anymore.

Professor Chase chuckled weakly and said, "I know what you mean. I think Annabeth stored some extra in her room. I'll be right back." He left the room, clapping his hand on Percy's shoulder as he left.

Once he was gone, Steve turned to Percy with a raised eyebrow. "How many times have you been here? And do dolphins really do what you say?"

Percy laughed. "We stayed here for a while at the beginning of the summer. Annabeth and I were visiting Ne- some friends, looking into a college over here, all that." Steve noticed Percy's hesitation, but didn't pry. It wasn't his right to. "And yes, dolphins do usually listen to me. Same way I talk to Blackjack."

Bruce's mouth formed a perfect _oh!_ "Right, because he's Poseidon, god of the seas. Got it. So are you like a prince or something?" Bruce teased.

Percy blushed fiercely. "That may or may not be what they call me," he muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough. Steve burst into laughter while Bruce chuckled.

When Steve finally managed to stop, he asked Percy, "So how many powers do you have? So far, we've seen you manipulate water, create earthquakes, breathe underwater, heal when in water…" As he listed the abilities, he counted them on his fingers.

Bruce jumped in, "Talk to horses, talk to- all fish, not just dolphins I'm assuming?" Percy nodded, and Bruce continued. "Summon your sword straight to your hand-"

"Hey that's not fair. That's Riptide not me," Percy interrupted.

"Fine," Steve said, lowering one finger. "Are we missing anything else, Percy?"

Percy grinned sheepishly and scratched his neck. "There are a few others. I mean, if you need someone to sail a boat around the world without a crew, I'm your guy." Steve raised an eyebrow and counted another finger. "And there are some other smaller things that relate into what you guys already listed, so yeah, that's about it."

Steve wanted to ask what those 'other smaller things' were, but before he could, Bruce cut in. "So, a lot? You have a lot of powers?"

"Yeah let's just go with that," Percy grinned. "Oh, and I'm also a pretty good pitcher, especially with freeze-dried space food."

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. _Freeze-dried space food?_ he thought incredulously. _What even is this kid?_

Thankfully, Annabeth's dad walked back in before the silence stretched too long. Steve gave Percy one last weird look before getting to his feet. Frederick handed Percy with a Zip-Loc bag full of the magic lemon bars. Steve noticed that it had a small sticky-note attached, but before he could get a closer look, Percy had slipped it into his bag.

They all went back downstairs, where they found Alison and the twins reading books with Rose fast asleep in her mother's lap. Careful not to disturb her, Percy said his goodbyes. Steve was watching with a small smile when he felt a small tap on his arm. He turned to see Matthew (he thought) standing there with his hands behind his back and a shy expression on his face. Steve crouched down so he was eye-level with the boy.

"What's up, kid?" he asked, avoiding his name just in case he got it wrong.

The boy brought his arms out from behind his back to show Steve a piece of paper and a marker. Steve grinned when he saw a poster of the Avengers team clutched in Matthew's hand.

"I was wondering if you would mind signing it for me?" Matthew asked hesitantly.

Steve's grin widened. "I'd love to. But you know, I'm not the only Avenger in this room."

Matthew cocked his head in confusion. "You're not?"

He shook his head. He pointed to Bruce. "You see my friend Bruce over there?" Matthew nodded. "Well, when he needs to, he turns into that guy." He pointed at the picture of the Hulk on the poster.

Matthew's eyes got wide and he looked closely at the picture of the Hulk before studying Bruce. His eyes lit up and he yelled out, "Bobby!" He ran over to his brother, who had been hugging Percy and frantically pointed at Bruce. "That's the Hulk!" Now it was Bobby's turn to freeze, mouth dropping open. After a moment, he rushed over and seized Bruce in a fierce hug.

"You're my favorite Avenger!" Bobby yelled. Steve could have kissed the boy for the way Bruce's face lit up in surprise and disbelief. Steve could have sworn he saw his eyes grow a bit shiny, before he returned the boy's embrace.

Steve and Bruce had both signed the Avengers poster and promised to bring Black Widow, Hawkeye and Iron Man to sign it too. After a few more hugs, Percy was driving them back to the private airfield. Steve could tell Percy was much more relaxed and calmer than when they'd arrived.

Steve sighed in content and leaned back in the shotgun seat, closing his eyes. _Percy needed that,_ Steve thought. _And not a single monster att-_

 _ **CRASH!**_

The rental car was suddenly hit from Percy's side and they were all thrown to the side. Steve's head hit the window and his vision went black momentarily.

When Steve's vision cleared, he saw Percy, still dazed, with a trickle of blood running down his face from a cut above his right eyebrow. A thud from his right brought his attention to Bruce who was wrenching his door open and he grateful accepted the help out of the wrecked car before rushing to Percy's side of the car and dragging the teen from the car, laying him out on the ground. He yelled at Bruce to call Tony while shaking Percy, trying to wake him.

"Come on, Percy! Wake up!"

Percy's eyes opened, but before Steve could say anything, his face grew panicked and he grabbed Steve's shoulders and rolled them both to the side. Steve heard several thuds right where they'd just been, and when he looked back, his heart stopped.

Right where they'd been laying, there was three small craters in the asphalt. And in front of them, not ten feet away, was a giant monster with a serpentine body and at least a dozen heads. Three of them looked dazed, and Steve assumed they were the ones that had slammed into the concrete, looking for a quick meal of super soldier and demigod. One of the heads noticed them and darted at them, snapping its teeth-filled mouth.

Steve didn't think, he just grabbed the pen Percy was trying to open, uncapped it, and swung, ignoring Percy's cry of "NO!"

Riptide sprang to life in his palm as he swung. The head was completely severed and landed at his feet. He kicked it away and handed the sword back to Percy, who was looking at him with a horrified expression. He looked back to see the most disgusting thing ever. The trunk of the head he had just severed was sizzling and bubbling, like a boiling pot. As he watched, it broke into two and new heads formed on each trunk.

Steve swallowed. He heard Percy yell at him, "It's a Hydra, cut off one head, two more grow back!"

Steve had enough time to think, _So that's where that saying came from_ , before one of the heads batted him into the side of the car and his body erupted in pain.


	25. Chapter 25: Hail Hydra!

**Chapter 25: Hail Hydra!**

"Steve!" Percy yelled. He scrambled to his feet, dazedly dodging attacks from the hydra as he fought his way to the soldier's side. Several dodges, a somersault, and an accidental swing later, he made it to Steve. A loud groan told him the man was still conscious, though being thrown into a car probably meant he wasn't in the best shape.

"Percy!" Bruce yelled from the other side of the small car. "I got a hold of the others. They're on their way!"

Percy glanced around and cursed. The road they'd been driving on was thankfully completely deserted, but there were houses in easy walking distance to his left, running parallel to the road. They'd have to finish this quickly before anyone investigated the crash. To the right was small city landfill, which explained the stink in the air. He used Riptide to fend off the hydra (it didn't need to know he wouldn't actually attack) and called back to Bruce. "How long?"

"Five minutes tops! Tony a bit sooner."

" _Di immortales,_ " he cursed. "Any chances of your green friend joining us?" he asked hopefully. 

"Sure, if you want to add a few neighborhoods in the casualty report!" Percy could tell from Bruce's voice that that wasn't an option.

"Fair enough," Percy admitted grudgingly. "In that case, get back." He took one last glance down at Steve, who was now trying to sit up, before charging the hydra.

Man, he did stupid stuff when Annabeth wasn't around.

 **PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBP**

Bruce watched, slack-jawed in awe, as Percy dove into combat with the monster. The hydra's main body was about the size and shape of an adult rhinoceros, but there were now at least fifteen serpentine heads writhing around Percy as the demigod hero danced through them. His movements were fluid and continuous, never slowing. And because of how close he was, the hydra heads kept getting in each other's way as they tried to strike him. As Bruce watched, he saw Percy dodge an incoming head, and it sunk its teeth into the neck of another, tearing a scream of pain from the monster. Percy had stopped swinging his sword at the necks and started stabbing instead. Already a few heads had lost eyes and had stab wounds in various places, pouring sand out onto the… trash?

Bruce's eyes widened in understanding. Percy was gradually leading the monster away from them and into the landfill. They were already through the gate and Bruce could see that the Hydra was having trouble with its footing when Percy drew it onto a trash pile. Percy, of course, was doing well. There was probably a class for balancing on trash at Camp Half-Blood.

But even as Bruce watched, he could see Percy begin to tire. No one could keep up that frantic speed for long, not even if they were half god.

A groan from behind him had Bruce spinning to see Steve standing, clutching his head. Bruce raced to his side to support him.

"Where's…" Steve mumbled.

"Percy's distracting the hydra, leading it into the landfill," Bruce answered, correctly guessing what Steve wanted to know. "Tony's flying over as fast as he can, and the others are on their way as well." 

Steve nodded, and Bruce could see him processing the information. "How's Percy doing?"

"He's fine for now, but he can't keep it up forever." Bruce answered, worry filling his voice as he glanced over at the landfill. Percy and the hydra had disappeared behind a trash pile, but Bruce could still hear occasional screams of pain from the hydra and metal clashing on metal.

Steve turned his head to follow Bruce but groaned at the movement. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth before asking, "Do we know how to kill a hydra?"

Bruce shrugged. "I remember Hercules crushing one with a landslide, but I think that was a cartoon. And I don't see any cliffs where we can apply that tactic here."

Bruce could almost see the gears turning in Steve's mind as he stared at the landfill. "I'm not so sure," he muttered, gaze thoughtful.

The sound of Tony's thrusters alerted them to the incoming billionaire, and Bruce turned, still supporting Steve, in time to see him land, bronze armor glinting in the afternoon sun. The faceplate flipped up, revealing Tony's worried face. "You alright, Capsicle?" he asked, quickly scanning the man for injuries, but Steve waved him off.

"I'll be fine," Steve said, "but we've got to help Percy." He shrugged off Bruce's supporting arm and stumbled over to the wrecked car, pulling his shield out of the backseat. "How far out Clint and Natasha?"

Tony didn't even make a joke about how slow they were. "Few minutes max. What's your plan?"

"We crush it." Steve answered grimly as he started running into the landfill. "If we hit one of the taller piles hard enough, we can force it to topple onto the hydra. It may not kill it, but it'll at least buy us some time."

Tony snorted as he took off after Steve. "Never thought we'd come to the point where we're taking battle strategy from a Disney movie."

Bruce's face went slightly red and he was about to try to defend himself when they heard a scream of pain from deeper in the landfill. His blood ran cold and he immediately started chasing after Tony and Steve. That scream had been human.

 **BSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSBSB**

When Steve heard the scream his vision went red. He was sprinting full speed now, racing to where that scream had originated.

 _He's still just a kid,_ he thought desperately, praying they weren't too late.

As he rounded the last trash pile, he nearly froze in horror. Fifty feet away, Percy was on the ground facedown, at the base of a two-story pile of metal pipes, several of which had fallen on him, and he was barely moving. The hydra was slowly stalking towards him, the closest head still at least ten feet away. Several heads were limp on the ground and another two were swinging around blindly both eyes gone.

It took Steve all of one second to process it and he called to Tony, who was flying next to him, "Get behind Percy's pile, and be ready to push. I'll get Percy."

Tony saluted in acknowledgement and put on a burst of speed, disappearing behind the pile. Steve ran full tilt at Percy. He slid below a few heads and got into a crouch at Percy's side just as the first head struck. He managed to get his shield up in time, which thankfully had its bronze cover on already. He thanked his previous self's foresight to have it ready.

Steve threw his weight into the shield as the hydra repeatedly slammed its heads into the shield. With his free arm, he was frantically shoving pipes off Percy, who was struggling onto his hands and knees.

"Get ready to move," he called to him, but Percy just looked at him, confusion all over his face.

"Steve? Where'd you come from?" the teen muttered.

"Not the time, kid!" In one fluid motion, Steve grabbed Percy and spun to the side, deflecting the striking heads into the pile and confusing the rest. Then he hauled Percy to his feet and practically dragged him to the right, as far away as he could while screaming "NOW!"

A moment later, a series of small explosions erupted from the far side of the pile and there was a large crash, which Steve figured was Tony colliding with the pile, trying to force it onto the monster.

For one terrifying moment, the pile held, before it toppled onto the hydra that had been preparing to charge them. Steve grinned in satisfaction as he heard its shriek of surprise as it was crushed by several hundred pounds of metal. Then he turned his attention to the demigod whose arm was slung over his shoulder.

"Percy, you with us?" he asked tentatively, fearing he'd been injured severely. But his worries turned out to be groundless.

Percy groaned and rubbed his side as he muttered, "Unfortunately. What did you guys do?" 

"Oh just carefully crushed it under a few tons of pipes," Tony replied casually as he landed in front of the two, brushing his hands together cockily. "Think that'll do it?"

Steve glanced back at the pile and his heart sank. "I guess not," he said, disappointment coloring his voice as he gestured to it. "Unless it's supposed to smoke."

Tony and Percy both looked at the pile. Percy groaned in exhaustion when he saw the melting pipes. "Gods why can't this thing just die already?" he muttered before straightening, taking his full weight off of Steve before continuing. "We need fire."

One of Tony's gauntlets immediately morphed into a flamethrower. "Check," he said smugly.

Steve gave him a look of surprise. "What?" Tony asked. "It was the first feature I had. It was on the original."

Percy continued. "The reason I got in close was so that the heads couldn't use their acid without risking itself. That's how its getting out now. Watch out for it. Steve, you and I get to start cutting off heads. Tony's going to follow behind us and torch the stumps, so they can't grow back." A smirk grew on his face. "You'll find it works better than a Disney solution."

"Hey! I heard that." The three of them turned to see Bruce approaching from behind. The doctor gave them a quick scan to make sure they weren't injured too badly before nodding. "But I'll admit it wasn't the best solution. I'll hang back until you guys need me." 

Steve nodded in thanks before turning back to face the pile, where the first heads were popping out of the pile. He dropped into a fighting stance with his shield positioned in front of him. A small _shink_ from his right told him Percy had drawn Riptide and taken up a similar position beside him. He could hear Tony's blowtorch blowing on his left and he shot the billionaire a grin.

"Looking good right now, aren't we Stark?" he asked, sarcasm laced into his voice.

Tony shrugged, his voice echoing metallically through the faceplate. "Sure Rogers, but it'd be better if you two were in uniform." 

At that moment, the hydra erupted from the now mostly-melted pile and every single (working) eye turned to them, glaring in absolute hatred.

They charged into battle with Percy's laugh echoing through the air.

 **SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS**

Percy slipped past the first hydra head and spun, chopping its head off quickly. He quickly moved away, giving Tony space to cauterize the stump. As he moved to the next head, another darted towards his exposed back. Before he could move to defend, he heard a small _hiss_ split the air and an arrow appeared in its eye socket, burying itself deep and immediately dropping the head. Percy grinned and called "Thanks Clint!" before continuing on, confident knowing that his back was now safe from attack and that the superspies had joined the party.

He dodged a spray of acid and cut off another head, narrowly avoided being bitten, duck beneath a neck, and wove through another two before realizing how close he was to the main body. Grinning, he slipped through another few necks before clearing the monster and hopped on its back. He then started to quickly chop through the heads just above where they joined the body.

Tony quickly joined him while Steve, Clint and Natasha kept the few remaining heads busy. They ended up making quick work of it after that, and soon the only thing that remained was a pile of golden monster dust.

Percy stepped away, dusting his clothes off. "Well I guess the third time's the charm." He chuckled at the other's confused looks. "This is the first time I've actually killed a hydra with a sword/fire combo. Past two times I've blown it up. Can't say which is easier personally," he added thoughtfully, remembering fighting with Tyson and Annabeth before Clarisse blew up the monster with a Confederate cannon. Back in the good old days when all he had to worry about was the Greek side of mythology.

Ah good times.

Percy groaned slightly as he stretched his arms above his head, and barely restrained himself from grabbing the various bruises across his chest. He was pretty sure his ribs weren't going to stop bothering him for a while, but he didn't think anything was broken.

Hopefully.

"So… now what?" he asked casually.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him, no doubt noticing his half-concealed pain. But Percy didn't feel like being poked and prodded by Bruce so he and Steve had a mini conversation while the others were talking. It went something like this:

Percy: Don't tell them.

Steve: You're hurt.

Percy: Don't tell them.

Steve: It's going to get worse.

Percy: Don't tell them.

Steve: Tell me?

Percy hesitated briefly before nodding curtly and tuning back in to the conversation.

Natasha was speaking. "We've only got an hour or two of light left. I say we bed down for the night in the jet and attack in the morning. We can plan tonight."

Tony groaned dramatically. "Sleep in the Quinjet again? You do remember that I can buy out a hotel if we want, right?"

Natasha just glared at him as Clint spoke up. "I'm with Natasha. Mt. Tamalpais is surrounded by forests and trails. If we cloak and set down nearby, we'll be ready for anything."

"Set down closer to the ocean," Percy cut in, drawing five pairs of eyes to him. "It'll help mask my scent. Then if monsters smell sea god, they'll assume its because the ocean is right there."

Steve nodded, pretending to understand what Percy meant before he turned back to Natasha, inquiring about the state of their fuel supplies and provisions. Percy tuned it out and walked onto the waiting Quinjet nearby. He relaxed into his seat and leaned his back, closing his eyes and getting some much-needed calm.

Of course it only lasted a few seconds before his aches and pains made themselves very much known as they throbbed in unison. This time, Percy allowed the groan to rumble out of him as he reached around in his bag for some ambrosia. He hadn't had any yet today (which everyone seemed to think was a miracle for some reason), so he wasn't in danger of burning up.

He reached into his bag while clutching his ribs with his other hand, searching for his ambrosia or nectar canteen. He frowned when his fingers met two bags of ambrosia instead of one, so he just picked one and pulled it out.

He felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. The packet of ambrosia had a little sticky-note on it with Annabeth's neat handwriting on it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Professor Chase giving it to him that morning. He hadn't read the note then, but now it was nearly causing him to hyperventilate.

 _Seaweed Brain,_

 _Stop getting hurt! It's a really bad habit! Use that head of yours even if it is full of kelp. If you die I will personally march too Hades and drag you back, so I can kill you myself._

 _Love you idiot,_

 _Annabeth_

It was a simple note, nothing major or important, yet it had nearly reduced him to sobs. There were already a few tears on his face, though he had huffed a laugh at the last sentence. He knew it was true too. If he ever died, she wouldn't stop until she was able to scold him for it.

He heard Steve sit down next to him and he quickly hid the note and wiped the tears away. He pulled out a piece of ambrosia and started chewing so he'd have an excuse not to talk, but instead he nearly burst into tears again. It tasted like his mom's homemade blue cookies, slightly burnt like when he and Annabeth had tried to make them. His mom had come home to find a kitchen covered in flour and a smirking Percy trying to snitch cookie dough and Annabeth fending him off with a spatula. Needless to say, he hadn't managed to get any.

"How're you feeling?" Steve asked.

Percy shrugged. He could feel the pain dulling in his ribs and the slight headache he'd been dealing with was fading. He'd be fine in a few minutes physically, but he had a feeling that wasn't what Steve was asking.

He swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat. "I'll be alright," he murmured. "Nothing a few more squares of ambrosia and Annabeth won't fix." He smiled weakly, but he knew Steve could see right through it. "Honestly though, Steve, I'm doing fine."

"Would I be here if I believed that?" Steve asked with one eyebrow raised.

Percy chuckled softly. "No, I guess not." He sighed, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "But really, Steve, if anything that fight made me feel a bit better."

If possible, Steve's eyebrow got even higher. "That doesn't exactly boost my confidence in your mental state right now, kid."

Percy snorted. "Fair enough." His face grew serious. "But in all honesty, fighting with you guys, I had a good time. Once the whole team was there, working together… I don't know the teamwork really reminded me of home, fighting with my family." Percy met Steve's eyes. "You guys fight really well together, you know?"

Now it was Steve's turn to snort, apparently. "You should have seen us when we met. As Bruce accurately put it, we were a 'time bomb'. Tony and I didn't exactly mesh well, and I thought he was just a selfish playboy trying to make himself look good. Bruce was… a threat whenever he got mad, Thor still acted a bit 'high-and-mighty', Natasha had more walls built around her than the Pentagon, and Clint was still being mind-controlled by Thor's evil brother." Percy watched as Steve's face contorted in a grimace as he remembered.

"What changed?"

A small grin appeared. "A good man died, aliens invaded, and I watched Tony fly a nuclear warhead through a wormhole with almost zero chances of survival to save New York. Kind of changes your opinion of a guy."

Percy blinked, before nodding his head slowly in understanding. "I think I get what you're saying. During the Second Giant War, Camp Half-Blood was nearly destroyed by Roman demigods. We'd been fighting ever since Rome was founded, and there was so much bad blood on both sides I didn't know how we would stop it. Then a giant army of monsters attacked, and we joined forces like we were born to fight together. Don't get me wrong, we're still ironing out the kinks. Greeks fight more individually, without much organization, while the Romans are all about strength in numbers, and sacrificing for the good of the legion." Percy thought back to that final battle, where the Romans had marched into battle in perfect formations, and he had just run back to the Greek lines and yelled _'Let's fight stuff_ '. "We just needed to find a common enemy and a few people to be willing to find peace. It may not have been a perfect solution, but it's getting the job done for now." He thought of the exchange programs that were going to be implemented soon, and his future with Annabeth in New Rome. "If you had told Chiron two years ago that Greeks and Romans would be fighting together, not with each other, he would have assumed you were the god of comedy and laughed in your face. But somehow, we made our little 'time bomb' work," he smirked at Steve, "though I'm still pretty sure I'd dust Romans in a fight, just like I beat you guys."

Steve snorted and shook his head. "I swear, sometimes I think you're just a demigod version of Tony sent to torture me."

This sent them both into large fits of laughter. By that point, the rest of the team had already boarded the Quinjet and they were lifting off. Percy sighed and relaxed in his seat, leaning back and closing his eyes, still letting out the occasional headache had disappeared while they were talking, and his ribs now only felt slightly bruised. Any cuts and scratches were completely gone, and he felt better, _lighter_ , than he had for a few days. Maybe he was just on a winning high, but he'd be a fool if he wasn't going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Gods knew it was only a matter of time before the next disaster the Fates would send his way.

 **PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAP**

Annabeth slowly stood and crept to the side of the door as quietly as a cat. She listened carefully as the sound of scales on stone grew steadily closer. She tensed slightly, waiting for the door to swing open.

A moment later, her patience was rewarded as a single dracaena slithered in, holding a tray of what Annabeth could only guess was a supposed to be food. In the moment the monster's eyes were still adjusting to the dim lighting, Annabeth struck.

In one fluid movement, Annabeth grabbed the hilt of a dagger protruding from a sheath, spun, dodging the sloppy punch directed at her head and plunged the knife into the monster's heart, just as she was opening her mouth to scream a warning. She almost instantly dissolved into golden dust and Annabeth grinned as she confidently tossed her new dagger into the air before catching it again.

Phase one complete. Now it was time to find Seaweed Brain, so he didn't do anything stupid. Though knowing him it was probably already too late for that.

 **ATATATATATATATATA**

Tartarus glared down at the field of monsters. Another group had just passed through the Tear, and Koios now had a decently-sized army at his command. The whirlpool of destruction that formed his face swirled a bit faster as he growled in distaste. He hated being forced to rely on the Titan to secure a foothold in the mortal world and capture the demigods, but it had been a necessary evil. With Gaia and Ouranos' influence all but non-existence since there 'deaths', nothing would stop him.

Once he entered the mortal world at the pitiful Mount Othrys, the nearby representation of the two forces would make things… simpler to take over.

His booming laugh echoed across the plain writhing with monsters eager to reenter the world. Soon they would all kneel before…

"Lord Tartarus!" The primordial nearly blasted the annoyance as soon as they spoke, but he withheld his temper and beckoned the single dracaena forward.

"What is it?" he growled, angry at being pulled out of his fantasizing of a world that would be subject to him and him alone.

"The demigod Chase is escaping! She killed me an-" the half-snake woman got no farther before a deafening roar of rage and nearly a hundred monsters were vaporized and another hundred were forcefully thrust forward through the Tear as the physical representation of the Heart of Tartarus rolled beneath their feet.

"FIND HER!" was the only thing they heard before they were enveloped in darkness.

 **A/N: As I finish this, my 25** **th** **chapter, I would like to take a moment and thank all of you, my faithful readers, who have been supporting me with your comments and reviews for the past few months. It's been one heck of a journey everyone. We're in the endgame now. And as I only have a rough idea as to what I want to happen, please feel free to send me reviews with your opinions on how I should end this. There may be only one or two chapters left, or there may be six. I don't know. It depends on how much whump! I decide to put my beloved characters through. Please send me your opinions, they honestly make my day.**

 **Thanks again for all of your support guys! You're all the best readers an author could hope for on a fanfic.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	26. Chapter 26: Finally

**A/N: H-h-h-hey guys! Sorry about the wait but I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll try to be more consistent until I finish the story, but you all know how crazy life is. I'll do my best, though I promise! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 26: Finally**

Annabeth peeked out of her prison, eyes narrowed as she surveyed her surroundings. She had already dispatched the two Cyclopes guards outside her cell to Tartarus, and she knew she needed to move quickly. She quickly withdrew her head as a group of dracaenae slithered by. Reversing her grip on her dagger, she darted to the first piece of cover she had seen: a pile of cracked masonry.

She pictured the monster camp around her in her mind. Straight ahead of her would be the fastest way to the path down the mountain, but it would also take her right through the heart of the camp. Going right would take her through the ruins, but would also lead her towards what looked like a command center, and she had no plans to face Koios in this escape. So her options were left or backwards. Backwards would take too long so left it was.

After waiting for another group to pass, Annabeth darted out of cover and made for the rubble on her left. She silently thanked the Romans for leaving such a mess when they destroyed Mount Othrys during the Titan War. It left a lot of good hiding places when one is trying to sneak around a ton of Greek monsters.

Because a lot of people find themselves in these situations.

She moved quickly and quietly, trying to lessen her chances of being noticed. The early morning light also helped, casting long shadows for her to hide in. The wind blew her hair into her face and she brushed it back, thanking every wind god she could think of that it was blowing from her right to the left. She may have to put up with the stench of unwashed monsters, but it was better than them getting a whiff of fresh demigod. Besides, they had nothing on Percy's week-old dirty laundry.

After a few minutes of careful sneaking she had managed to circle most of the camp and the only thing that lay between her and the path down the mountain was…

Thorn.

Of course.

Because the Fates hate her.

She should really stop being surprised.

The manticore in question was standing guard at the head of the path. Thirty feet of open ground were lying between them. Thorn was gazing out down into the Garden of the Hesperides, making sure nothing could enter the camp without passing him. Or exit.

He was still wearing the military uniform, and Annabeth could hardly look at it without remembering that night years ago when he'd kidnapped her. And in his hands…

Annabeth ducked behind a fallen piece of masonry, wheels in her mind turning. He had her invisibility cap. If she could just get it back it would make her escape a lot easier. Not to mention all the emotions that were tied to it. Her first gift from her mother (only gift, honestly). She couldn't just leave it. But was it worth the risk of drawing Thorn's attention?

No, she shook her head as if that would shake the idea away. There was no way she would be able to get it without getting caught first. It wasn't worth it. She leaned out from behind the rubble, a twinge of pain from her arm reminding her why it was such a bad idea.

So instead she focused on how she could get past him. She was in the middle of planning an elaborate diversion involving several boulders and a small avalanche when a rumble of thunder nearly made her jump out of her skin. She looked up, but the sky was clear except for a few clouds that were golden near the sunrise. Then she looked to her right and her heart skipped a few beats.

Because she had gone left initially, the entire monster camp was laid out to her right, and about hundred feet away, just in front of a trapped Atlas, was a… tear?

She didn't know how else to describe it. It was like a god had grabbed a hold of the air and torn a hole in that one spot. Inside, she could see… nothing. And the smell…

Her stomach plummeted, and she covered her nose, trying to block out that smell. She was too far away to get a full whiff of it but remembered it vividly. In order to escape the Pit, both her and Percy had had to take a ride in the Doors of Death. They'd fought back, threatening to spill them into whatever laid behind them. And that smell… it had permeated everything, from the one-time Percy allowed his door to open a crack to the final moments where the only thing she could remember was the feeling of her entire being protesting the jarring transition from Tartarus to Earth. It had been excruciating, and she shuddered just thinking about it. There was a reason that she and Percy never spoke of Tartarus to any of their friends. Just that smell- sulfur, decay, _death_ \- was nearly enough to send her into a panic attack. She could nearly hear the booming laughter of Tartarus…

 _No,_ she thought firmly, gritting her teeth in determination. She couldn't lose focus, not now. She was too close to freedom to blow it now. _Come on Annabeth,_ she berated herself. _Pull yourself together!_

She lowered her arm from her nose and focused on Thorn. He was watching the Tear with anticipation and… was that surprise?

She took a deep breath and looked back at the Tear just in time to see it stretch and spew out a horde of monsters. They kept coming and coming and Annabeth's eyes got bigger and bigger as a crowd of monsters the size of a small army assembled before her. She'd gotten a good look at the camp in the last few minutes, and this would add a sizable chunk to their already worryingly large numbers.

Annabeth was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She ducked back behind the debris and listened as she heard loud footsteps walking away from her. After a moment, she peeked out again, gazing in disbelief at the now unguarded trailhead. After doublechecking to make sure it wasn't a trick, she dashed over, shooting a quick glance over at the new monsters and the growing crowd of onlookers.

She had just reached the edge and was about to start sprinting down the path when a booming voice stopped her in her tracks.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Annabeth immediately dropped to the ground, lying prone in the dirt to lessen her chances of being seen. She quickly slipped below the edge of the mountaintop before peaking back over the edge, curiosity getting the best of her.

The Tear had disappeared, though Annabeth thought she could see a slight distortion in the air where it had been, though it was difficult to tell at this distance. Thorn had made it to the main group of monsters, which she could see now was mostly made up of Cyclopes, dracaena, hellhounds, telekhines, basically the most common monsters that make up a Titan army. She could also see a few Earthborn and hydra scattered throughout the crowd.

The source of the commanding shout was Koios, whose silvery glow was definitely less powerful in the light of the now-risen sun. He was dressed in full battle armor, his Stygian iron breastplate with its bright diamond unmistakable on his chest. The monsters all stood at attention as he approached.

The largest Cyclopes stepped forward. "Lord Koios! The demigod has escaped!"

The moment the words left the monster's mouth, the entire camp seemed to freeze. Annabeth's breath caught in her throat. _How could they know?_ she thought frantically. There was no way the guards she killed had regenerated in Tartarus so fast. She cursed. The primordial must be speeding up the process. What else could explain the enormous army in front of her?

She was startled out of her thoughts by the eruption of noise and chaos in front of her. The lesser monsters were panicking and running around in confusion, while Koios, Thorn, and a few others were trying to rein in the chaos. Annabeth took it as her cue to leave and she lowered her head, crawling back several meters before her escape was noticed.

Sprinting downhill is difficult enough, but this was a steep mountain with rocks and other hazards trying to trip her up. It was a miracle that Annabeth even made it to the Garden of the Hesperides. It didn't help that she'd been held captive by monsters and hadn't eaten nearly enough to keep her strength up.

She reached the edge of the garden without incident, and immediately slowed to a walk. She could see the giant, shimmering form of Ladon, the dragon guardian of the Apples of Immortality. The creature was similar to a hydra, with dozens of heads, but way more powerful. Annabeth knew that she couldn't afford to make a sound here, and she once again found herself wishing for her invisibility cap.

The sun was now completely risen, and Annabeth could see the dense forest below her, as well as the ocean, though a fog obscured most of the city. A strong wind blew in from the west, and she sighed softly as the strong smell of the ocean hit her nose, momentarily overpowering the scent of eucalyptus. _Percy,_ she thought wistfully, before clearing her mind and focusing on her task, she slowly began creeping on the very edge of the garden, keeping at least fifty feet between her and the dragon at all times.

When she reached halfway, a movement drew her eyes inevitably to the dragon, and she was shocked to see one head staring right at her. She froze briefly, before continuing slowly. She wasn't here for the apples, and she had to trust that the dragon's urge to protect the tree would be greater than it's urge to feast on demigod.

Their eyes remained locked though, and Annabeth suddenly felt like a snake charmer. Like if she blinked or looked away, the dragon would erupt into a whirlwind of teeth and claws. And she had seen firsthand the damage it's poison could do. Her heart panged as she remembered Zoë, the Huntress she'd only met twice, but had died to help save her.

Annabeth was approaching the opposite entrance to the garden when she heard the noises. She broke eye contact and turned to see the first group of monsters charge down the mountain. They'd must have finished searching the camp and were now expanding their range.

Ladon's many heads spun to face the inturders the moment they entered the garden's perimeter, and Annabeth thanked the gods that she was so close to the exit. She was now the lesser threat, and she could run and count on Ladon to at least delay her opponents. After all, he wasn't just there to guard the apples from mortals.

She reached the exit and began sprinting away just as the fighting started. A quick glance back showed Ladon tearing the other monsters apart, while some tried to circle it while also calling for reinforcements. Annabeth turned back to the path in front of her and raced into a patch of fog, emerging quickly and darting into the trees that surrounded the mountain's peak.

 **APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA**

Percy hopped off of the Quinjet and took a deep breath. The smell of the eucalyptus trees around him bringing back a lot of memories, most of them bad. He turned to see Steve and Nat walking up behind him, both wearing their uniforms. "Are we ready to move?" he asked the tall soldier.

Steve nodded. "Tony's scouting right now, he'll let us know if he sees anything from the air. We're leaving the Quinjet, Clint, and Bruce here for backup. In case of an emergency, they can come help us out."

Natasha held out a small earpiece. "Here."

Percy hesitated. "I explained the whole 'no phones' thing, right?"

The super-spy rolled her eyes. "It's just in case we get separated and need to contact you. You don't have to use it, but you are taking it with you." She grabbed his hand and placed the slim piece of tech inside. "Now put it in and let's go."

Percy reluctantly slipped the earpiece in as Steve pointed out what button to push to turn it on. Then the three of them jogged off into the woods surrounding the clearing they had landed the Quinjet in as Bruce and Clint wished them luck, disguised as some clever insults.

After running for five minutes, occasionally hearing the Iron Man suit pass overhead, they were nearing the top of the mountain. The trees were thick around them, slowing them down slightly, but they still made good progress, though Natasha had to redirect them several times when the boys' sense of direction failed. Percy spent the time thinking about Annabeth. He hadn't dreamed about her the night before, so he had no idea if she was okay. His mind kept jumping to worse-case scenarios, and he was only able t stop when Steve relayed that Tony's sensors had picked up movement near them.

As they moved closer to investigate, Steve explained. "The trees are too thick for Tony to get a good read on it, but it's moving fast and its at least humanoid in shape, other than that, Jarvis can't tell."

"How close are we?" Percy asked, eyes searching the foliage in front of them, easily jumping a fallen tree trunk.

Steve shrugged slightly, dodging a small copse of trees before he replied. "Less than a minute. Stark found a small clearing we can confront it in."

They reached the area first and spread out slightly, Steve in the middle with Percy and Natasha on his right and left, respectively. Riptide was drawn and ready without Percy even needing to think about it consciously. Steve's shield was positioned in front of him protectively and Natasha's handguns were in her hands, locked, and loaded. All three were still hidden by the trees' shadows.

A moment later, Percy could hear the rustling as whatever was running at them grew closer. The three of them tensed and…

A blonde-haired teenage girl came running out of the forest.

Percy's mind froze and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. His heart stopped because _she was right there…_

He was moving before his brain had caught up with his body. He crossed the clearing in a flash as he cried, "Annabeth!"

A moment later, all his brain could process was that she was in his arms, and that all was right with the world again. He forgot all about the possibly-world-ending conflict that they were facing, forgot all about the super soldier and spy that were probably watching, and just breathed in the scent of his Wise Girl, his Annabeth. He turned his head slightly and pressed a chaste kiss on the side of her head, and gasped slightly as her arms tightened around his torso. Gods, he loved this girl!

After he'd managed to assure himself that she was actually here, and that she wasn't going to disappear, he pulled away slightly, staring into those gorgeous grey eyes. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and his heart nearly burst out of his chest when she rolled her eyes at his gesture and raised her hand to rest it on his.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her that cocky troublemaker grin he knew she loved. "You're not going to judo-flip me again, are you Wise Girl?"

 **PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP**

Steve realized a split-second after Percy who was standing in front of them, and by the time he had, the teen was already sprinting towards her. When she first saw him, Annabeth Chase had brought her knife into a defensive position. But by the time Percy had reached her, she had sheathed it and was running towards him as well. They met in the middle of the small clearing and immediately embraced each other.

Steve smiled widely, happy to see Percy's love returned to him. He turned to Natasha and saw her concealing a small smile. It was impossible not to see the love the two had for each other, and the joy they had upon reuniting was infectious.

And then of course Tony had to ruin it.

Out of nowhere the genius-that-always-found-a-way-to-act-like-an-idiot dropped into the clearing ten feet away from the newly reunited couple. Annabeth had Percy pushed behind her and her knife out faster than Steve could blink.

Luckily, Percy was able to hold his girlfriend back before she attacked, though it was a close call. Steve quickly walked over to his teammate's side, not wanting to move to fast in case Annabeth took it as a threat. He could have kicked himself for not thinking this through. The last time the daughter of Athena had seen them, they'd attacked her and Percy, knocked her out, and kidnapped her boyfriend. Of course she wasn't going to be happy to see them.

By the time he and Natasha reached the group, a heated discussion was already in motion.

"-ones that kidnapped you, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed. "They attacked us twice and now you're telling me to trust them?"

Percy ran his fingers through his hair, the stress and embarrassment clear on his face. "Yes?" Annabeth gave him a dirty look and he quickly continued. "Look, what happened before was kind of a misunderstanding. They thought I was a terrorist with superpowers, which you have to admit isn't the craziest thing I've been accused of."

Annabeth's face turned into one of reluctant agreement before she asked another question. "But how much do they know?"

Percy's eyes lowered slightly, almost as if he were ashamed. "The generals but nothing specific. I took them to camp."

Annabeth's face went white. "It's that bad? Please tell me someone gave you permission."

Percy nodded slowly. "My dad wasn't exactly happy about it, but I won't be hit by a lightning bolt any time soon."

Steve could see some of the tension flow out of Annabeth's shoulders as she sighed in relief. "So you know about the prophecy?"

Percy's eyes darkened. "Yeah. They know too, and they helped me get here so fast." Steve figured this was a good time to cut in.

"Hello Ms. Chase. My name is Captain Steve Rogers, and this is Agent Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark," he began, gesturing to each of his teammates in turn, "I would like to apologize for our actions both in New York and just now." He shot a pointed glare over at Tony who was getting a firm talking-to by Natasha a few yards away. "Percy here has told us a lot about you," he finished with a warm smile, extending a hand to the young woman.

She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, and Steve resisted the urge to squirm as she surveyed him with those stormy eyes, looking for any sign of distrust. Luckily, she didn't find any, and she took his hand in a firm grip. She gave him a small smile. "Apology accepted, Captain. Though forgiveness might take a little bit longer, just ask Hera."

Steve chuckled. "I'll take what I can get."

Percy seemed to relax now that introductions were out of the way and all weapons were still holstered. He quickly turned to Annabeth. "How did you escape?" he asked, more than a hint of concern in his voice. At this point Natasha and Tony had rejoined the conversation, with Tony looking sufficiently scolded and Natasha triumphant.

Annabeth directed her answer to all four of them. "Once I got out of my chains, I killed the guards and snuck out. But before I left, Tartarus sent word that I had escaped _through_ a regenerated monster! Nothing's ever regenerated that fast, so I ran. I made it through the Garden and past Ladon pretty easily, but the first search parties weren't too far behind me, so we should probably get going."

Percy nodded in agreement and looked at Steve for his approval. He was quick to give it. "Alright then, let's get back to the Quinjet. Our other two teammates are over there, Agent Clint Barton and Dr. Bruce Banner."

The small group began running through back the way they came, hoping to stay ahead of their pursuers.

They had been running for a few minutes when Annabeth stumbled. Percy was immediately by her side as she stood, brushing it off as nothing, but Steve could tell she needed a slower pace. She'd just escaped a monster camp after being imprisoned for nearly a week and being poisoned and half-starved, if what Percy had told us was even partially correct. She'd been running hard before we found her, and she needed a break.

But before they could start moving again, the woods around them erupted into noise.

Steve brought his shield out, subconsciously making sure the sharpened bronze rim was attached firmly. A glance at his teammates and the demigods showed they were ready as well, and they instinctively formed a small circle to protect each other's backs, with Percy on his left and Tony on his right.

Howls tore through the morning air along with the clashing of metal on metal and grating laughter. Steve gripped his shield a little tighter as he listened to it. Then, the shadows around them came to life, and Steve was confronted by a mad, snapping hellhound. He quickly ducked behind his shield, narrowly dodging the snapping jaws, and swung his arm out, landing a solid punch on it's head. In the few moments the dog was dazed, he used his shield's edge to end the monster. As he finished, he looked up to see his team finishing their own small battles. Tony and Natasha had taken out the most, with the handguns and repulsors allowing them to do damage from a distance. Percy and Annabeth fought together, their movements screaming about how much trust and experience had been built between them, and they dispatched several dracaena.

Steve narrowed his eyes as he scanned their surroundings. Any shadowy movement was a threat, and still the grating laughter hadn't stopped. Steve gritted his teeth and breathed deeply, before raising his finger to his ear and activating his com. "Clint, we're under attack! Unknown number of assailants. We found Annabeth but we're going to need a pickup. Bring the Quinjet and hover above our position. Get as close as you can to the treetops and we'll come to you."

" _Copy that, Captain. Bruce and I are on our way. ETA two minutes."_ The archers response was quick and no-nonsense. This definitely wasn't a time for jokes.

"Steve look out!" Percy's panicked shout startled Steve into action, and he instinctively raised his shield just in time for several fast projectiles collided with it. He grunted as the force of them created vibrations that just about numbed his arm. He looked down to see several spines on the ground. Unable to pierce the vibranium and celestial bronze combination, they'd fallen to the forest floor uselessly. The super soldier looked up to see a familiar figure emerging from the shadows surrounding them. A snarl from Percy just confirmed it.

"Thorn." A glance at the demigod showed him the absolute hatred the boy held for the monster in front of them, and Steve was shocked to see that the venom was matched on Annabeth's face. Although, he couldn't really blame her. This monster had kidnapped her twice, and that wasn't something that was easily forgiven. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natasha disappear deeper into the forest and quickly spoke up to distract from the movement.

"Nice to see you again, though I have to say you are a disgrace to that uniform," he said, gesturing to the formal military suit, the same one he'd been wearing when he visited Percy, Tony and Steve at Avengers Tower to taunt them.

The manticore snarled in his direction before turning to Percy. "Hiding behind mortals now, Jackson? That's a new low, even for you. But then again, you always were good at running from a fight."

Percy made to charge forward, but Steve threw up an arm to stop him. They made eye contact briefly, and the teen reluctantly stood down. Steve didn't know what Nat was up to, but he had to buy her some time.

"You're one to talk Thorn," Annabeth spat, venom lacing her voice. "Never were one to do the dirty work, were you? You'd rather leave it to the lesser monsters while you sit back like a coward."

Thorn roared in anger at her words before his body began to transform. The uniform rippled and disappeared, and he fell forward, landing on hands that suddenly transformed into paws. Steve finally got a good look at the tail, a menacing five-foot-long black thing, curved like a scorpion, and bristling with long spikes identical to the ones at his feet. His main body morphed into a giant cat's, but at least twice as big as any lion or tiger. Only his face remained the same, the expression of rage seemingly permanent. The tail flashed, but before Steve could raise his shield again, Tony flew in front of the small group of three and shielded them with his armor. Percy and Annabeth then charged the beast, vicious shouts erupting as they drew close.

"Kill the mortals!" Thorn roared, and suddenly, the surrounding woods were full of Cyclopes and dracaena. "The demigods are mine!" Then the manticore pounced, and everything dissolved into chaos.


	27. Chapter 27: You Can't Take Me

**I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!**

 **Haha guys I'm still here! I am so so so so so so so so sorry this took so long! But everything's been super duper crazy since school started back up and I really wanted to make this a good chapter! I hope it satisfies your guys' expectations!**

 **I would like to thank** _ **Tr96ward**_ **for his private message about continuing this story. It came at the perfect time and gave me the inspiration I needed to get over some serious writing block. It may have been small, but it meant a lot to me.**

 **And also** _ **ThatGeekGurl17.**_ **Thanks Rose for always supporting me and sending me such amazing feedback on this story.**

 **And now, without further ado:**

 **Chapter 27: You Can't Take Me**

Percy was about to fight for his life against an extremely dangerous monster that he had only seen beaten by a god.

And he had never been happier.

A giddy smile refused to leave his face as he charged Thorn side-by-side with Annabeth, his Wise Girl. There were bloodstains all over her shirt, smudges of dirt covered her face and arms, and her blonde hair could definitely use a long wash, but to him, she was beautiful. And as they charged the manticore, there was no place he'd rather be.

Thorn roared his challenge as the drew closer, and Percy's eyes barely registered the flicker of movement behind him before Annabeth pushed him to the side before springing in the opposite direction herself. He nearly lost his footing from the force of the shove, but he just managed to stay upright, knowing that falling would make him an easy target. He risked a quick glance at the Avengers and was pleased to see that they were easily holding their own against the small horde of monsters. As he watched, Tony shot a repulsor blast directly into Steve's shield, and the resultant rebound completely evaporated an entire squadron of dracaena.

Percy grinned and turned back to Thorn, who'd been completely occupied by Annabeth up until this point. She was dodging everything the manticore threw at her, and she made it look easy. Percy lost himself for a second, just watching her move and enjoying the feeling of just being near her, before shaking his head slightly to clear it and jumping into the fight.

As he approached, he drew Riptide, and before it had extended to its full length he was already swinging towards Thorn, managing to score a glancing blow to the monster's left flank. The yowl of pain that followed from the mutant cat gave Percy no small pleasure. He had been aiming for the tail, as it's uncanny marksmanship had been a thorn in his side **(Hehe I couldn't resist)** since that fateful night at Westover Hall. But a last-second dodge on the manticore's part had spared the five-foot limb. Percy cursed and ducked as a retaliatory wave of spikes shot towards him. The second set was deflected off of Riptide, and some of which landed in front of his feet. A crazy plan formed in his mind as he looked at them, and he immediately reached down and grabbed several before locking eyes with Annabeth. She was facing the manticore's teeth and claws, but they managed a split-second of silent communication. Percy watched her stormy-eyes narrow as she spied the spines gripped in his hands. Then her expression morphed into one of surprise and pride. She nodded in approval and returned her full attention to the monster at hand. She knew Percy needed an opportunity and she gave him one.

"Come and get me, freaky furball!" she yelled. Now it was Percy's turn to look on with pride as Thorn roared in anger. Annabeth had been taunting him mercilessly and the insult was the last straw. He pounced, but Annabeth executed a neat back handspring, ending up on Thorn's right. She wasted no time, plunging her dagger into the manticore's stomach. The wound was small, but excruciating. Instinctively, Thorn screamed in pain, and leapt away from the dagger, trying to put as much distance in between the two of them, unknowingly entering Percy's reach.

Percy sent a quick prayer to the gods as he swung back the arm holding several of the poison-coated spines. _Please don't let him be immune!_ he pleaded before plunging a spine in between two of the large cat's ribs.

The resulting scream nearly had him covering his ears in pain, and he saw several of the few-remaining hellhounds fall out of the corner of his eye, whining in discomfort as the shriek echoed through the forest. _I really hope no early-morning hikers heard that_ , he thought as he winced. He only let go after Thorn had collapsed heavily to the ground, and then he immediately rushed to Annabeth's side. He quickly checked her for injuries, sighing in relief when the only blood he saw was old and dried. As he did, Percy could tell that she was doing the same thing to him, and saw his expression reflected on her own. But before he could kiss her, his attention was drawn to the fighting still going behind them. One glance at Annabeth and a now-motionless Thorn was all he needed to confirm that they were good to go, and they charged side by side into the battle.

 **PTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**

Tony smirked as another Cyclopes burst into dust after a blast from his repulsors. The few remaining backed away nervously afraid to face the Merchant of Death. Steve had also forced his section to retreat slightly as well, and the dozen or so Cyclopes, dracaena and hellhounds were bunched together. They looked about ready to turn and disappear into the woods surrounding them, especially the hellhounds, who were yipping fearfully while searching for nearby shadows.

Then, two piles of dust exploded in the back of the crowd, and Tony laughed out loud when he saw Percy and Annabeth continuing to cut down the rest of the group. Behind them, Tony could see Thorn lying still on the forest floor, and he flew forward to help with the cleanup, with Steve close behind.

After less than a minute, the only thing remaining of the small army Thorn had brought was dust. Tony dusted his gauntlets together dramatically, earning an eyeroll from the Good Capsicle, and retracted his helmet. "Well done everybody. We can go get shawarma, now right?"

All he got in response to that were two confused looks from the teens and the eyebrows of disappointment from Steve. Then the super-soldier looked around in confusion. "Hang on, where's-"

A flash of movement behind the demigods registered with Tony's scanners before he could finish. Tony immediately jumped forward, blasting the fast-moving projectiles out of the air with repulsors. Any others were blocked by Steve's shield as he jumped in between them and the unsuspecting teens whose backs were turned.

Tony's eyes flashed up to see Thorn struggling to make it to his paws. His tail flashed again, but his injuries seemed to have weakened him, and the spines traveled significantly slower, but still dangerously fast.

Before anyone could even think of moving, though, a scream of pain almost equal to the last one in volume echoed across the now-cleared area. Tony flinched, but managed to destroy all the projectiles before they reached them.

As soon as the danger was cleared, they ran to the final monster, ready to cut it down, before Nat's voice rang out.

"Stop!" Her voice was coming from behind the manticore, but JARVIS couldn't find her anywhere.

Tony took a step closer. He was ten feet away from Thorn at this point. "Nat? Where are you?" he asked cautiously

"Right here." Suddenly Natasha appeared in all her super-spy glory pulling a navy baseball cap off of her auburn hair. She was standing right in front of the manticore, arms crossed in front of her and a very satisfied expression on her face. Tony pulled up short about ten feet away from her and his visor flipped up.

"But- how did you…?" he stammered in confusion, and a glance at Steve told him he felt the same. Annabeth, on the other hand. Walked right up to Natasha and grabbed the cap out of her hands, quickly turning it over and inspecting it for damage. As she did, Tony glimpsed the Yankee logo resting proudly on the front.

A choked splutter had him glancing at Steve in surprise, who had a hurt expression on his face. "You guys are Yankees fans?" he asked incredulously.

"You got a problem with that?" Percy asked, a playful smirk on his face.

"Yeah I do!" Steve exclaimed. "The Dodgers are way better!"

"I don't know, you two," Tony clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "We might have to turn you in to Fury for this." Nat shot him a look and he wilted. "Okay, I get it too soon," he muttered. "Geez no need to get touchy."

Annabeth smirked at their exchange and turned back to Rogers. "Sorry Captain, but you're gonna have to deal with it." She placed the cap on her head, and the teenage demigod immediately disappeared, including from J.A.R.V.I.S.'s scanners. A moment later she reappeared, holding the cap above her head.

"Amazing…" Tony muttered, and his first instinct was to grab the magic hat and fly it to the nearest lab and run tests on it. But he restrained himself as the topic turned to the monster behind them.

Natasha was speaking. "I saw the hat fall out of Thorn's pocket as he went full-kitty mode, and it looked so out of place I figured it must be important. Then I remembered my first encounter with you two." She turned to the two demigods. "You used it in the park to get the jump on me, huh?"

Annabeth nodded without a trace of guilt on her face, unlike Percy, who hung his head.

"So I put it on and used it to help protect your guys' backs," Nat finished. "Because, let's be honest, Steve, you'd be dead without us."

Steve's cocked his head questioningly. "Us?" 

"Yup, us." A cable dropped right beside Nat and Clint slid down. His bow was in hand and ready for use. "You didn't think I was helping out? That hurts, Cap." He then turned to the manticore and grimaced. "Man, that thing is ugly." 

A low growl from Thorn redirected all of the attention to him and everyone's faces hardened. Tony flipped his visor down and started reading the information JARVIS was pumping out. "You stuck him good with that spike Perce. And I'm assuming you did the tail, Nat?" The super-spy nodded as Tony inspected the large amount of damage she'd inflicted. The entire limb was nearly severed from the rest of the body, and it was slowly disintegrating into golden dust, one ominous black spike at a time.

Natasha and Annabeth approached the monster's head with steel in their eyes. "What is Tartarus planning?" Annabeth spat at him, hate filling her gaze. Steve and Percy were flanking the two while Clint was scanning the woods behind them, in case another ambush was attempted.

Thorn just growled at her in defiance. Natasha then stepped in and grasped the spine Percy had shoved in. Tony didn't have time to do more than wince as she twisted it brutally, and the whimper she tore from the monster somehow managed to sound more pain-filled than the roars.

"My friend here just asked you a question," Nat- no, the Black Widow hissed. "I suggest you answer it." She tugged again, this time drawing a yowl. Tony shuddered. He hated it when Nat allowed her original training to show through the layers she'd created to hide it. You could hear the cold, calculating assassin baring its teeth and it scared him. It always did. A glance at Steve showed that he was having to restrain himself from pulling her away. He could tell that Clint's back was tense, as he could hear everything that was happening behind him.

Tony looked at Percy and Annabeth, afraid of their reaction to Nat's dark side. He was shocked to see the indifference on the demigods' faces nearly matched Natasha's. A glance at Nat from Annabeth showed not horror but appreciation. Percy's face held only some regret.

Tony's heart shattered. _These kids have been through too much,_ he thought despondently. _They've had to_ _ **do**_ _too much._

He shook himself out of his sympathy, and focused on Natasha. Scary Nat or not, they needed the information he had.

Nat twisted again, burying three-quarters of the two-foot spike completely into the large cat's side when his eyes started to close. Thorn was jerked back to full consciousness and he finally growled out, "You're too late. Lord Tartarus has nearly finished tearing the Veil apart. By the time you reach the peak, nothing will stop his armies from tearing everything apart."

"You'll never take Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood," Percy snarled. "You know that. Too many have tried and failed already. So why try?" Tony glanced at Percy at the name Camp Jupiter. _Another demigod camp? Where?_

A watery cackle distracted him from his thoughts. Thorn was obviously dying, but he was going to taunt them until the very end. "Correct, Perseus. We've always failed attacking the camps, where you are all gathered. But we know you heroes. You'll come to us and fall, one by one."

"And why would we do that?" Annabeth hissed, but Tony could see the slight edge of fear in her eyes.

"Because a hero could never resist saving the innocent," Thorn replied softly. The stunned silence that followed was horrifying. Thorn grinned as he saw the realization dawn in their eyes. "Yes, now you understand. Keep your camps, it'll give you front row seats while the rest of the world burns." And with that, Thorn ripped the spike from Natasha's hand and pushed it into his side completely. In a matter of moments, he was gone, leaving nothing but a pile of dust and his words to haunt them.

 **TATATATATATATATATATATATA**

Annabeth's mind was racing at a million miles a minute. "There's an army at the top of Mt. Othrys. Tartarus must be focusing all monster regeneration to amass at that point. As the location of the old Titan stronghold and the point where Ouranos and Gaea first met, it's natural affinity for chaos must be making it easier for Tartarus to exploit that… Tear."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stark freeze. "What do you mean, Tear?"

"While I was escaping, I saw this… gap in the air, right in front of where Atlas holds up the sky," Annabeth explained, sensing that Stark was close to figuring out something important. "It was like someone had taken a knife through reality and exposed whatever was behind, and then a horde of monsters was vomited out. Percy…" she paused and swallowed, "it was just like the Doors of Death." Percy went white as the blood drained from his face, and she could see the fear in his eyes as he remembered those moments.

" _Beware for the Veil has already been torn…"_ Annabeth whirled to see Stark muttering the line from the prophecy. "That's the line right?" She nodded, prompting him to continue. She could see her interest reflected on the faces of Percy and the other Avengers. "Percy told us the Veil probably meant the Mist, and that that was probably why we weren't 'mind-wiped'," Tony finger-quoted, "when we first came after you. But what if that's not true. What if the Veil is the layer separating Tartarus from here?"

Annabeth's mind ground to a screeching halt. Of course. Nico had told her about the fight in the House of Hades. He'd been worried that any more traffic would have caused a permanent rip between life and death. They'd cut the chains and the doors had relocated, but her and Percy's ride must have been the last straw, leaving a hole where the doors had been. Now Tartarus was exploiting that weakness, and the more monsters he pushed through, the wider the Tear became. Soon, he would be able to pour whole armies through the gap in minutes.

Percy swore. "An express lane straight from Tartarus to Mt. Othrys." Annabeth nodded in shock.

She could tell that Rogers and the rest were still a bit confused, but they must have understood the gravity of the situation from the terror-filled looks on the demigods' faces. Rogers' face hardened. "How do we fix it?"

Annabeth forcefully restarted her mind. Controlling the exact spot the monsters were being regenerated had to take a lot of focus from Tartarus. If they could somehow remove him from the equation…

 _Primordials have been killed before,_ a line from their last quest rang through her head. Ouranos by drawing him to Earth, Gaea by pulling her into the sky. If they could recreate that feat with Tartarus, maybe even lure him through the Tear itself…

Annabeth looked at Percy. He looked tired, sore, and she could see several new scars, both physical and mental. He was far from top shape. But he'd been worse in Tartarus. She'd seen what he was capable of in there. It had terrified her, and hurt her to see him in so much pain, but she'd seen his true power come to light. And right now, as much as she hated it, that was what they needed.

"We bring Tartarus here," she whispered, knowing that this was the only way to end this once and for all.

"WHAT?!" Annabeth winced slightly as the others reacted to her involuntary comment.

"Annabeth, you can't be serious, he'll destroy everything!" Percy exclaimed, horror and disbelief covering his face.

"No, he won't," she insisted. "Remember Gaea? we isolate him from his source of power and destroy him. If we do that, nothing's keeping the Tear open and it should heal on its own." She could see Romanoff and Barton looking thoughtful, and nodding their heads, accepting the logic. Rogers and Stark, though, were skeptical, and Percy was downright defiant.

"But how do we destroy him? We saw him Annabeth, Gaea- Gaea barely even compared." Percy took a shaky breath and looked down at the ground, clearly trying to compose himself. Annabeth stepped closer to him and pressed her hand to his cheek gently. He immediately leaned into it, and lifted his sea-green eyes to meet her grey ones. She could see the pain and grief boiling just beneath the surface, along with a thundering rage she knew would be directed immediately at anyone who tried to harm his family.

"Percy," she said softly, savoring his name on her tongue. She sensed rather than saw the Avengers move back to a respectful distance, giving them some privacy. "You know what I have to ask you to do."

Percy's face fell, and confusion entered quickly. "But- when we fought Akhyls, you made me promise-"

"I know." Now it was her turn to drop her gaze to the floor, but her hand remained firmly pressed against his skin, and he slowly lifted his own to wipe away a few tears that had leaked out of her eyes rebelliously. "I remember. But Percy, in that moment, you touched the power that we need to win this fight. You can do this. And it is killing me to ask you to do this because I remember what it took to force you to use that power, and seeing you filled with so much rage and pain was horrifying for me to watch, but it may be the only thing that can save us now. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to face Tartarus again."

The air suddenly seemed to drop a few degrees while thunder crashed nearby, and they both turned to face the nearby peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The sun had risen far above the horizon at this point, and burned away the morning fog, but the entire top of the peak above them was encased in a swirling cloud that was growing faster by the minute.

"We don't have much time," Rogers called, and Annabeth turned back to Percy, who was still gazing at the growing storm.

"What if I'm not strong enough?" Percy whispered, doubt and worry obvious on his face. Annabeth immediately pulled him into an embrace, tucking her ear against his chest and listening to his rapid heartbeat while he rested his head on her blonde hair. Despite its hurried pace, it was still one of the most comforting sounds she'd ever heard.

"You are," she muttered, completely sure of her words. "You're the best of us Percy."

She felt him tense slightly at these words, and then she felt his shoulders straighten slightly as he stood taller. "I'll face him," he said solemnly, but before she could reply he continued, "but only if you go to Camp Jupiter."

Annabeth was about to protest before she made the mistake of looking up and meeting his eyes. It was then that she knew that he would not bend on this. If she insisted on joining them, he would be too distracted by concern for her well-being to do what needed to be done. She forced herself to unbend her pride and nodded. She'd done her part, escaped and taken away their leverage against Percy. The prophecy had expressly stated that Percy had to face this final trial alone, and the last time she'd tried to deny that, she'd gotten Conner killed. She leaned back into the embrace for another few seconds, squeezing him as tightly as she could as he returned the favor, trying to memorize everything about him.

Just in case.

In the end, Percy pulled away first, and he cupped her face, drinking in her features before kissing her deeply. She returned passionately for as long as she could and then pulled away with tears in her eyes. They then turned to face the Avengers, ready as they'd ever be.

 **A/N: Final plan is in motion folks! The final showdown is coming up and I'm actually really worried that I won't be able to do it justice. I have this grand picture in my mind, and I don't know how I'm going to put it into words. Oh well, I'll do my best, as that's all I can do at this point. I'm in too deep, I MUST FINISH! Please send me reviews filled with all of your lovely opinions and feedback.**

 **Question for all of you: What do you want to see happen in this final battle? Death, love, victory, defeat, misdirection?! I'd really like to hear your ideas as they always inspire my writing.**

 **On a side note, I would like to recommend a new movie on Netflix. It is called Tall Girl. It came out this week and I swear I have never related so much to a character in a movie in my life. I, similar to the main protagonist, am 6'2" and I haven't grown since my sophomore year in high school. I've lived my entire life as the tall girl, the freakishly tall weird girl that somehow likes to do sports and be a nerd. I never experienced as much adversity as the Jodi, the character in the movie, but I related to her in a way I have with few others. I was crying throughout the movie because I have felt exactly the same way. The insecurities about how no clothing ever fits right, the difficulty of finding a guy who is either taller than you or interested enough to look past the height difference, and the perfect, shorter older sister who is always seems to be better than you in every way. I recommend this movie, not just to tall girls, but to everyone who has ever felt insecure about an aspect of yourself that you couldn't control, whether its your height, your personality, your appearance. Go watch this movie. It will inspire you.**

 **And next time you see that really tall girl walking down the hall, or the sidewalk, please don't tease her about it. You may think it's funny, but it isn't always to us. We can be more insecure about it then you think. I speak from personal experience guys. Being tall can be a curse and a blessing. I've learned to see it as a blessing, but many people haven't. So help them see it too.**

 **This is stiltsrosko signing off!**

 **See you next time!**


	28. Chapter 28: Reaching the Peak (Again)

**A/N: Heeeeeey guys. I'm not dead! I'm sure you're all aware of how long this has taken, and I could spend the next few hundred words, but I think we'd all just rather you start reading. Enjoy!**

 **This chapter's for my little brother (happy b-day bud!) and Lansfics7 from Ao3 (your review is what got me to finish this chapter!)**

 **Chapter 28: Reaching the Peak (Again)**

Steve looked at the two demigods as they turned to face the team. Their faces were determined, but he could see the fears in both. Not for themselves, no, Steve was starting to think it was impossible for Percy to have any self-preservation (he chuckled inwardly; Bucky would've hated him), but for each other. However, they did seem to have at least some kind of a plan. He wasn't entirely sure what Annabeth had been talking about earlier, but it hadn't sounded easy. Natasha and Clint had seemed to agree with the logic that had been presented, and their limited knowledge of past precedents presented by Tony's research had been helpful. While Percy and Annabeth had been talking (read: hugging and kissing), he'd been explaining what Annabeth meant about Ouranos, the primordial of the sky. Apparently, Tartarus was also a primordial, and by luring him out of his domain, they could destroy him, hopefully without dying in the process. Steve would have preferred to have more information, but the gathering storm at the top of the mountain was a good incentive to get the show on the road.

Five minutes later, they had a plan. Annabeth and Clint would take the Quin-Jet to Camp Jupiter, which was apparently the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood. Because this world just kept getting bigger and better. Percy had already mentioned Roman demigods to him a few days ago, so he'd been more prepared for this than Tony (it'd taken a while to distract him enough so that he'd stop pelting Percy with questions), but Steve was definitely going to ask him and Bruce to synthesize more of that super-soldier Advil as soon as this was over. The stress and world-breaking news he's been given in the past two weeks was getting to be too much. He was going to have a serious headache when this was all over.

Percy, Steve, Tony, Natasha and Bruce were heading up the mountain. Clint had only agreed to leave because Annabeth didn't know how to fly a jet. Apparently she could fly a helicopter, but not a jet. Go figure. Steve could tell that Annabeth wasn't to happy to be leaving either, but a shared look between her and Percy thankfully seemed to settle her disagreement. The plan was for the two of them to warn the Roman camp before somehow sending a message across the country without using phones to Camp Half-Blood. Steve didn't even want to know.

Percy led the way up the mountain. He seemed to grow more haggard and worn as they drew closer. Steve thought back to the stories the teen had shared with them about this place. He hadn't shared much, but what he had had definitely been concealing a lot of pain and regret.

Steve wrinkled his nose. The smell of eucalyptus was definitely growing stronger the closer they came to the summit as well.

"You know," Tony spoke from just behind him with a poorly concealed gag, "you could have warned us about the threat of suffocating by cough drop smell."

Percy grimaced. "Eucalyptus. I'm not a fan either, trust me. But apparently dragons love it."

Steve really wished he could tell when Percy was being serious.

Despite all of the clear reluctance in his body language, Percy only hesitated once before diving into the storm cloud mixed with fog near the top of the mountain. As they emerged from the bank, Steve gasped.

The garden before them was absolutely stunning. The color and plant life around him was so diverse and beautiful, it was almost impossible to resist the temptation to just stare at it forever. However, it was helpful that there was a giant dragon to distract him.

Ladon, as Percy had called him, lay awake around the center tree and stared at them from his post. Some of his many heads laid limp on the ground, similar to the hydra before they'd killed it. Before him stood four women tending to his wounds. Each was strikingly beautiful, with black hair and caramel skin, and clothed in Ancient Greek dresses. Steve nearly slapped Tony to distract him from staring open-mouthed.

"Perseus Jackson," the eldest said, turning to them as they entered the garden. "We did not believe we would ever see thee again."

Percy nodded, a grimace on his face. "I certainly hoped that would be the case, Lady Hesperide."

The Hesperide scanned their small group and a small smirk crossed her face. "I see thou once again bringeth companions, but not the traitor?"

Steve watched Percy's hands tighten into fists, sea-green eyes darkening. His eyebrows knit in confusion. _Traitor?_

"No," Percy growled out, "and you know why."

"Indeed I do, young half-blood," she sneered. "She deserved it."

Steve grabbed Percy's arm as the teen moved to rush forward when he heard a threatening growl from Ladon. He struggled for a moment before giving Steve a quick look to show he had his anger under control. The captain obliged and let go, but not before giving his arm a quick squeeze as both a comfort and a warning.

"Let us pass!" Percy spat, fury and grief barely contained within him. "You all know what will happen if we don't stop them. They'll destroy everything, including you."

"This is true," the Hesperide conceded, nodding her head, "and we will let thee, and thy companions pass. I merely meant to give thee a warning."

"And what might that be?" Percy hissed.

"The Lord of the Pit will enter this world with or without thine intervention. But why dost thou think he chose here?"

Percy's eyebrows furrowed. "Because of Mt. Othrys," he said suddenly uncertain, "the old Titan stronghold."

The Hesperide shook her head. "No, spawn of Poseidon. Mt. Othrys is relatively new to this place, it only regenerated here during Kronos' return. It is pitiful compared to the power Tartarus needs to enter this world. Our uncle, Koios, chose this mountain for our father's prison. Thou hast held it before, have you not?" the nymph said, quirking an eyebrow before stepping back with her sisters. "You know how much power Tartarus would gain if he were to take control of it. He would allow everything within a hundred miles to be crushed, and the chaos that would unleash would grant him enough power to cross and claim the domains of Gaea and Ouranos for himself."

Even without the nymph's ominous tone, Steve understood the gravity of the situation when he saw Percy's face go white. He'd never seen the teen look so terrified.

"He- he'd be unstoppable," Percy stammered. "The power of Earth, Sky, and Hell. It can't be possible…"

The Hesperide inclined her head solemnly. "Why do you think he was so desperate to catch you? The seas would be the only thing out of his control. True, he wants revenge, but he mostly desires thy power, and until he can take it from thee, he would force thee to use it for him. That is why he also desired thy beloved."

Steve could see the horror dawning on Percy's face, and it matched his own. If the Titans had managed to capture Percy before Annabeth had escaped, it would've been over. They could have had one of the most powerful demigods in the world on his knees. This was what Chiron had been scared of when he'd warned Tony and Steve that first night in Camp Half-Blood: Percy in the hands of the enemy.

Steve was suddenly grateful that Percy had managed to convince Annabeth to leave. That was one risk they didn't need.

The Hesperide continued, completely disregarding their shock. "Good luck demigod. Thou must make haste, Tartarus prepares for his entrance. And despite what thou may believe, we do hope that thou wilt find victory, if only for the world's sake." She waved her hand in front of her, and suddenly they were on the opposite side of the garden, on a steep, rocky trail leading farther up the mountain to the summit. When Steve looked back, mist obscured the garden behind them.

And then the winds hit them. Steve cursed as he grabbed a nearby rock as the gale caught him by surprise. After a moment, he had steadied himself, and he quickly checked his teammates to make sure they were alright. Nat and Bruce had sheltered themselves behind Tony, who's suit was providing a nice anchor, and Percy was standing stock still, gazing up into the storm without seeing anything. Steve laid a hand on his shoulder and the boy flinched before making eye contact. The super soldier was floored by the fear in Percy's eyes.

Steve was fiercely reminded that Percy was barely an adult. In his eyes, regardless of how much power he had, the demigod was still just a child. And he was scared.

Steve swallowed his fear, forcing himself not to let Percy see. He squeezed his shoulder tightly, and nodded, projecting as much confidence as he could.

"We're with you, Percy," he proclaimed solemnly, nearly shouting to be heard over the wind. "Lead the way."

Steve knew he'd said the right thing when he felt Percy's shoulder straighten under his hand, and courage and gratitude drowned out the fear in his eyes. The teen nodded to him, before facing forward, gritting his teeth, and charging.

They all followed without hesitation.

SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

As Percy ran forward, he forced himself not to think. He couldn't dwell on what he'd just heard, he had to keep moving. There was no time for speculations about what could have happened or what might happen. The only option right now was to be there before Tartarus emerged. If he was allowed to reach Atlas' burden, everything would be lost. San Francisco, the entire Bay Area, Camp Jupiter…

 _Annabeth_.

Percy cursed. _Don't think about it!_ he mentally screamed at himself. _Stay focused. You won't let that happen._

A glance behind him showed the Avengers hot on his tail. Steve was less than a stride behind him and to his right, Nat on his left, Bruce directly behind him, and Tony cruising just above them. Steve's shield was in ready position and Natasha had a gun in one hand and a dagger in the other. Percy didn't even need to think before Riptide was out of his pocket and uncapped. The soft glow of the celestial bronze lit up the mist in front of them with a golden glow. He honestly wasn't sure if he'd summoned it to his hand or if he'd pulled it out.

A wall of cloud and mist appeared in front of Percy and he slowed as he drew closer. The Avengers copied him, and he approached the nearly-solid barrier cautiously. He warily stretched his hand out and touched the clouds, trying to understand it. An unclear picture appeared in his mind. The water in the barrier was so thick it provided him a good idea of what lay before him. He closed his eyes and focused on it.

"The top is just ahead," he called back to his team. "We cross through this and we're in the eye of the storm." He opened his eyes and turned his head towards them before continuing. "The trail goes on for a couple more yards before plateauing, forming a large, open space only interrupted by the occasional pile of rubble. There are also going to be monsters. A _lot_ of monsters. Everyone remember the plan?" He received four nods, though several were reluctant. "Then let's do this."

Percy faced the fog before closing his eyes once again and breathing in deeply. They only had one shot at this.

If Tartarus wanted Percy Jackson, then that's what he was going to get.

Percy stepped through.

(A/N: I was going to end it here folds but, because I love you, here's some more!)

Percy didn't know what he was expecting when he crossed through the barrier of mist. A few guards, dark and gloomy atmosphere, maybe Koios waiting for him, maybe some dramatic lightning and thunder to signify the coming of Tartarus, but it definitely wasn't this.

Quiet.

It was just… completely quiet.

After the roaring winds that had been surrounding him and the team for the past few minutes, the contrast was jarring.

The silence had a certain weight to it, as if several extra pounds were weighing Percy down, making him feel just off-balance. His pounding heartbeat seemed loud enough to alert the entire mountain to his presence. He looked around nervously to see if anyone had noticed him emerging from the mist, but no one was around.

 _I'm hurt, no welcoming committee?_ Percy thought jokingly, trying to shake the oppressive silence, but the joke fell flat even in his mind.

Percy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before focusing his gaze on the peak. It was just a few yards ahead and a few feet above eyelevel. Steeling himself, he scaled that last incline easily, readying himself for another fight.

As his eyes crested the peak, they widened before he quickly ducked behind a large boulder a few feet off to the side, his heart pounding. Thankfully, only the top half of his head had shown above the cliff, and the guards stationed there hadn't glimpsed him. But behind them…

He'd known there'd be a lot of monsters, but that was more than even he had expected. There were more monsters up there then he'd seen in one place since the Battle of Manhattan.

Percy reached for the bead from that summer, but his hand grasped empty air. Inhaling sharply, he frantically searched his neck before realizing it was gone. He hadn't had it since he'd woken up in the Avenger's custody. A deep sense of loss enveloped him before he shook it off. He couldn't afford to worry about that now. He clutched Riptide, a comforting weight in his hand before he stepped fully into the light, in full view of every monster as they faced the axis point of the earth and sky, which was some sixty feet to his right.

The guards stationed at the trailhead immediately stepped back several paces, startled by his sudden appearance. It hadn't helped that they'd been also distractedly watching the show to their right. Their shouts of surprise and fear immediately alerted the rest of the monster horde, causing immediate panic.

 _Just how scared of me are they?_ Percy thought idly, slightly amused as he watched them scramble for weapons and position and the so-called guards moved even farther away from him.

After a full minute of panicking, Koios made his way to the front of the crowd, and started to cross the distance between them. Percy casually uncapped Riptide, causing a ripple of fear to spread through the crowd, keeping the sword by his side, point to the ground. The icy Titan paused briefly, carefully examining Percy, before continuing his advance. Percy kept his face as passive as possible as Koios approached, stopping once he reached ten feet away. He squirmed slightly as he was studied, the Titan no doubt trying to decipher Percy's next move. _Well_ , he joked bitterly, _this will probably surprise him_.

Percy lifted Riptide to the classic duel starting position, straight up, blade turned so the edge faced your opponent. He watched Koios' eyes narrow in slight confusion and smirked slightly before spinning his blade and stabbing it into the dirt. Now eyes were widening in surprise all across the crowd, with small shouts of surprise accompanying them. Then, a single hellhound howled in victory, with the rest following suit, breaking into cheers and then taunts and insults were thrown at Percy. He ignored them all. Just kept eye contact with Koios' icy eyes that were now narrowing in suspicion.

Percy stepped back from Riptide, finally breaking his staring contest with Koios to stare longingly at the faithful sword that had served him for so long as he let his fingers slip from the handle. Knowing he had to do this, he allowed his hands to fall to his side. Immediately, Koios beckoned several dracaena forward. They slithered forward nervously, and Percy considered flinching just to get a reaction, but he repressed the urge and held still as the snake-women grasped his arms and yanked them behind his back non-too gently. But he made no noise, only raised his eyes once again to Koios' and fixing his wolf glare on him. _Lupa would be proud_ , he thought as a flash of uncertainty crossed the Titan's face.

However, the flash passed quickly, and Koios quickly stalked forward before he was towering over Percy, forcing him to have to look up to keep his eyes on him. The Titan was several feet taller than him, with Percy's head barely coming up to icy diamond set in the Titan's breastplate. The temperature around the demigod lowered substantially as he was studied, but he forced himself not to shiver. Instead, he focused on the water around him. He drew comfort from his father's element, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly before adopting a neutral expression. He stared straight ahead, not even acknowledging the cold shackles that closed around his wrists and ankles, leaving only just enough chain to shuffle forward. He didn't react when Koios backhanded him across the face with enough force to knock him several yards back if not for the tight grip on his arms and split his lip, narrowly missing breaking his nose. He simply didn't react. No sarcastic comments or witty remarks this time.

He was jerked forward harshly as Koios turned and started forward. He moved calmly, patiently enduring the taunts and rocks thrown his way as they walked through the crowd which was quickly becoming a mob. He'd received several bruises and cuts but after a particularly nasty hit just above his eyebrow, Koios ordered they cease. However, the jeering continued, and Percy winced internally as some of the insults hit a little too close to home.

"Not so powerful now, are you, Jackson?"

"Where's your pretty girlfriend, did we hurt her too bad?"

"You were a fool to come here alone, Poseidon scum! Now you'll end up just like the Hermes brats!"

"You're nothing!"

"So much for loyalty!"

"Where's daddy now? Doesn't he care enough to save his own son?"

"Should have run away while you had the chance _demigod_ , after all, its what you do best!"

"Weak!"

"Pathetic!"

"Coward!"

 _Block it out Perce,_ he chided himself, while blinking away the blood streaming into his eye. _It's nothing you haven't heard before. Concentrate. Remember the plan_.

The taunting continued all the way through the crowd, but suddenly became silent when a pulse of energy erupted from the weird rip thing in front of Atlas' prison. The sudden whiff of sulfur and decay was nearly enough to make him gag, but he managed to hold it in.

However, the surge drew his attention to a worrying detail. Koios was headed straight for the Rip, not towards the holding cells as they'd planned. Percy felt his stomach sink. Something was about to go very wrong.

He was pushed to the front of the crowd before he stood in front of the Rip. Just being this close to it was threatening to send him into a panic attack, and his breaths came slightly quicker and he tensed, ready to fight if they pushed him in. They may have a plan, but Percy drew a line at returning to Tartarus. He'd rather die than return there.

Koios noticed his nervousness and grinned. "Worried, sea spawn?"

Percy considered breaking his silence but chose to keep his mouth shut. He was worried his voice would betray him and show his fear. As he was pulled closer, the pounding in his ears increased, to the point where he almost missed the soft, "you should be," whispered coolly in his ear as he was marched forward.

He was dragged close enough that Percy had to close his eyes to avoid staring into it. As it was it was taking all he had to convince himself that he wasn't in that cursed elevator with Annabeth. But just as he felt the pull starting to drag him closer, his captors veered to the side, circumventing the Tear in reality and moving to what lay behind it. Percy's eyes shot back open as some of the pressure was alleviated from his chest. He could still feel the pull, and as he glanced back at the rip, he could see that it looked the same as it had from the opposite side. But before he could think to hard about it, he received a sharp blow to the back of his head, causing him to stumble. The short chain made it impossible for him to regain his footing, and he ended up on his knees, only narrowly avoiding a face-plant on the rocky ground. As it was, he hated how weak and helpless he felt in the position.. He immediately straightened as much as he could and glared at Koios, the first emotion he'd shown since planting Riptide.

The Titan just smirked, before stepping to the side, revealing the site behind him. Percy didn't have to look. He remembered just how they'd left Atlas, trapped underneath the weight of the sky. But he still glanced nervously at the General as Atlas sneered and taunted him, still wearing the suit that he had worn during the battle all those years ago.

However, now when Percy met the Titan's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. Though they were more gray than silver, Percy still couldn't help but be reminded of Bob. It made a certain sense, considering that Iapetus had been Atlas' father, and _gods_ , it hurt.

He tore his eyes away finally and redirected his gaze to Koios, who was standing just off to the left, holding Riptide. It took everything Percy had not to lash out in response to the Titan even touching his beloved sword. Instead he settled for a glare. He was definitely doing more glaring than usual today.

Koios twirled the blade idly, studying the blade's writing, Anaklusmos, and hilt with a trained eye, running his finger along the edge. The soft bronze glow turned his silver eyes into a sickly shade of ember. "This sword has been the bane of more monsters than I would care to count," he casually remarked, still studying it. "And yet, up close, it really isn't that impressive. But then again," he snorted, glancing at Percy, "neither are you."

Percy rolled his eyes, before demanding, "What are you playing at Koios?" At the sound of his voice, the crowd immediately stilled, growing quiet. Koios merely laughed.

"He speaks! For a minute there I had feared you'd gone mute." He suddenly whipped Riptide so that the point rested underneath Percy's chin, with just enough pressure to break the skin slightly. Percy stiffened at the sight and feel of his blade on his throat, hardly able to breathe without causing further harm. "And then I wouldn't get a taste of the famous Percy Jackson's backtalk."

The crowd behind him stirred, audibly licking their lips at the sight and scent of fresh demigod blood. Percy suppressed a shudder and instead sneered back at the icy Titan.

Pressure from Riptide forced him to turn his head back to Atlas before the blade was removed. Atlas moved back in front of him, grinning dangerously. But when Percy refused to speak, his face grew slack from disappointment, before turning to indifference. "Oh well. I was hoping for some fun banter, but you clearly want to move this along."

Quick as a snake, and without even a glance, Koios plunged Riptide deep into flesh, burying it nearly up to the hilt. Percy's eyes widened in shock. This really wasn't going according to plan.

 **A/N: I'm thinking two more chapters, sound good? I want to make this a round 30 chapters, it's a nice number for my first fic. I'll get working ASAP but I'm about to start finals so look for the next chapter around Xmas.**

 **Please review and give me your opinions on this chapter and this fic as a whole! I always look forward to hearing from my amazing reviewers! Seriously what did I do to deserve you guys.**

 **Also, if I'm still late on the next chapter, blame it on the CW. Crisis on Infinite Earths is wreaking me right now. Like seriously it's physically painful and I can't handle it. Why'd they have to do me dirty like this? Don't they know it's rude to mess with people's feelings.**


	29. Chapter 29: One Last Time

**Chapter 29: One Last Time**

Percy really wished Annabeth were here. She'd know what was happening.

Instead, his brain was short-circuiting as it tried to process what just happened. His eyes were wide as he took in the sight of Riptide stabbed deep into a stomach. Only…

… it wasn't his stomach.

It was Atlas'.

The resulting bellow of pain from the Titan deafened Percy, but he was frozen in place. He couldn't understand why Koios had just impaled one of his own.

Koios' laugh is what finally drew him out of his shock. His gaze turned to the icy giant with disbelief written all over his face. The Titan smirked victoriously, and turned to Percy with a smug grin.

Percy only uttered a single word. "Why?"

"I never liked Atlas," Koios casually stated. "Too much brawn, not enough brain. **I** should have been the leader of the Titan forces, not him. But… there is another reason." 

An ominous rumble of thunder drew Percy's eyes back to Atlas. Golden ichor was pouring out of him, and he was starting to crumple under the weight of the sky. Percy's eyes widened as he understood.

"I needed a better prison for a certain demigod," Koios crowed triumphantly as he saw the horror sink in.

Percy immediately began thrashing, pulling away from Atlas, struggling to return to his feet. _No, no, I_ can't _, not again! No, no…_ he thought, furiously yanking at his chains. He wouldn't go back under there, he _wouldn't_!

Koios was watching his struggles with an amused expression on his face, even as his guards nearly lost their grips on Percy's shoulders. He casually walked behind Percy, before fiercely kicking him in the back, sending him straight to the ground. Percy wheezed as Koios planted his foot on his back, pressing down just hard enough to make breathing difficult but not impossible. He leaned over and whispered in the demigod's ear, "Take the weight of the sky, son of the sea. It's either that or you, me, this army, this mountain, and the entire Bay Area are flattened, including the little Roman camp."

Percy froze, eyes going wide. _Hazel, Frank, Reyna, Steve, Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Clint, everyone…_

…

 _Annabeth._

Koios had him. They both knew it. There was no way he could allow that to happen. Percy stilled, going limp. Koios removed his boot and he was hauled to his feet. Percy glared at the icy Titan standing in front of him, before dropping his head. He hesitated for only a second more before nodding.

The crowd behind them, which had been strangely quiet, erupted into cheers. Koios stepped to the side, gesturing Percy forward mockingly. The hands that had pulled Percy to his feet now shoved him forward, nearly sending him back to his knees. As he stumbled, he felt another hand on his arm, a brief, warm, comforting squeeze. He didn't turn his head. There wasn't anyone to see. But he appreciated the comfort anyways.

Percy straightened and approached the dying Atlas before pausing and turning to Atlas, extending his cuffed wrists.

"Free my hands." As he said the words, Percy was eerily reminded of Artemis, who had said the exact same words as she offered herself up in the same way to save Annabeth. He gave a wry grin internally at the flash of déjà vu. The Fates really did have a sense of humor.

Koios smirked, almost as if he could sense his thoughts, and brought Riptide up, cutting his chains expertly.

Percy rushed to Atlas as fast as his ankle chains would allow, and stretched his hands up to touch the swirling clouds. In the brief moment that they held the sky together, Percy made eye contact with Atlas, and saw Zoe and Bob looking back. Then Atlas was gone, fading into dust, and Percy, once again, held the weight of the sky.

Alone.

 **PNPNPNPNPNPNPNP**

Natasha sprinted away from the cheering mob of monsters. Her body was on auto-pilot, moving as fast as possible back to the rest of her team. Meanwhile, her mind was in shock. She didn't understand everything that had just happened, but she did understand that the plan had just gone horribly wrong.

Percy being captured had been a risk, but he'd insisted that it was the best way to get Koios to lower his guard. Natasha went with him to help out from the shadows and do some reconnaissance. Then she would return to the team, lead them in, free Percy from the cells he and Annabeth had described, and ambush the monsters from behind as quickly and quietly as possible.

She tightened Annabeth's invisibility cap on her head and continued running. The hat had definitely made her job easy, allowing her to walk just behind Percy and his escort and block some of the projectiles thrown at him. Granted, she couldn't do much without drawing suspicion, but she'd blocked a few nasty-looking rocks that could've spelled disaster for her new teammate. Annabeth had insisted she keep it as long as she promised to take care of it and Percy. Natasha hadn't thought she'd need it, but she'd never been so grateful for a woman's stubbornness, even if said woman had punched her a couple weeks ago.

As Natasha plunged into the mist that surrounded the peak, she thought of the expression she'd seen on Percy's face as Koios had revealed his new prison. She'd never seen such a clear show of fear and horror on the teen's face. He'd told them about his first battle on the top of this mountain, but he'd glanced over the part where he'd had to hold up the sky, making it seem like it was really no big deal. But that expression told her otherwise. After seeing it, she couldn't resist trying to offer some small amount of comfort as he'd walked forward. To her, it had been worth the risk. Natasha had heard Koios' ultimatum and the acceptance that crossed Percy's face. After the amount of fear she'd just seen, she understood what this would do to Percy.

She'd run before she could do more than glance Percy's expression as he took the weight from the dying Atlas, but it had been enough. His face had nearly radiated pain, and his mouth had hung open in a silent scream. And if he was in that amount of pain after only a moment of holding the weight of the sky, Natasha wasn't going to waste any more time fetching the boys. They needed to get him out of there as soon as possible.

Natasha burst through the mist layer and sprinted to the rendezvous, the sudden wind nearly knocking her over. She called out to them out to them as she got close. Steve spun when he heard her voice and caught her as she barreled into him. She quickly straightened and stepped away as Steve recovered from her unexpected arrival.

"Nat! What's wrong?" Bruce asked, confused at her rapid return.

"We've got to go!" she exclaimed, allowing worry to show on her face to express the severity of Percy's situation. "Percy needs us now!"

She spun around and started walking quickly towards the peak, the rest of the team following immediately. She knew it wasn't often that she showed her emotions, but she was worried. Percy's situation was desperate, she knew it.

"Nat, wait!" Steve called up to her. "What happened?"

She paused briefly to allow them to hear her over the raging wind. "Something went wrong. Koios didn't put Percy in a cell, he imprisoned him back under the sky."

"What's so bad about that?" Tony questioned, though he had the good sense to not be sarcastic. At this point she probably would have punched him.

"He didn't tell us everything. I didn't stay long after he took it but…" Nat took a deep breath, "…you didn't see his face. He was terrified and the pain I could see it causing him…"

She didn't continue after glancing at their faces. She could see that her point had been made. Steve just nodded.

"Let's go."

 **NSNSNSNSNSNSNSN**

Steve was scared.

Not much scared him at this point. A lot surprised him, but not much scared him.

But he'd never, ever seen Natasha so worried. The woman always concealed her emotions beneath a vibranium wall. The only person she showed emotion around was Clint. But she'd just come running into him and the wall had come down enough to let them see the worry and concern underneath. He didn't know if she'd done it consciously, but either way, it scared him.

Nat turned and continued walking briskly towards the cloud wall. Steve followed, thinking furiously. This threw off their plans in a major way. Percy and Annabeth had described the layout of Mt. Othrys in detail, so he knew that Percy would be at the edge of the cliff surrounded by open space. In addition, Tartarus was supposed to emerge from just a few feet in front of that.

"Nat, what did it look like up there?" he asked. Regardless of whether Percy was in trouble, he needed to know everything. They couldn't just run in blind.

"It's bad. There's more than five hundred up there, probably more by now," Nat replied, evenly, wall now firmly back in place, "and all of them are just waiting for Tartarus to come through, watching that Tear thing."

"All of them?" Bruce asked, surprise clear in his voice.

Natasha nodded. "That's the only good thing. No guards, everyone's focused on what's about to happen." 

Steve nodded, processing the information. He sighed, knowing the other three wouldn't like his decision. "Alright, we've got to do this slow. Tony, fly around the peak as quietly as you can, staying in the cloud layer. Natasha and I will go through first, and get behind them. We'll start taking them out one-by-one, for as long as we can. As soon as we're spotted, Tony hits hard from above while Bruce hits hard below. I'll make my way to Percy, free him, and then we'll rejoin the fight." He raised his hand to cut off Tony's protests, before shooting him a sympathetic look. "I know, Tony. But if we want to have any chance of winning this fight, this is how it has to be." At this point, they'd reached the barrier separating them from their newest and youngest teammate, as well as hundreds of monsters.

Tony scowled. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Bruce patted the mechanic's shoulder sympathetically before turning back to Steve, a knowing look on his face. "Steve, Percy said that there always has to be someone holding the sky."

Steve winced. "I know. I'll figure it out." He had to. There was no way he'd let a kid suffer.

Tony nodded, hesitating slightly before stepping forward to clap his hand on Steve's shoulder. It was heavy in more than one way. The worry in the billionaire's eyes touched Steve before the faceplate shut, replacing them with the strangely comforting blue-white glow of the suit's eyes. "Be careful, Capsicle."

Steve grinned slightly. What used to be a mocking nickname had turned into a friendly tease and today, something more. Steve knew that Tony had lost a lot in his life, and he was going to do his best to not be added to the list.

He looked at Nat and Bruce, thought about Clint and Bruce, and now Percy as well. He may have come out of the ice alone, but he wasn't anymore.

Tony removed his hand before silently taking flight, heading left to his position. Steve locked eyes with Bruce, nodding once before heading into the mist, Nat right beside him, just as he knew she'd be.

As they were about to exit it, he felt a small piece of fabric pushed into his hands. A quick examination with his fingers told him it was a hat. Squinting through the fog, he could just make out the white Yankees symbol.

He shot a pleading look at Nat, though it was wasted in the fog, and gave a very unsoldier-like whine in her direction. "Naaat…"

"We both know that I'm better at stealth than you are. And you'll need it if you want to get to Percy when the real battle begins. As soon as we reach the trailhead, you are putting that hat on, understand?" Nat had taken on her no-nonsense tone, and he knew that there was no way he was getting gout of this.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Watch it Steve," her tone was teasing now. "You're starting to sound like a certain genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Steve groaned as they emerged from the fog and began the final climb.

However, the mood immediately died when they glanced over the top ridge. Steve's mouth went dry as he spied the number of monsters awaiting them. He could just see Percy's hunched form at the front of the crowd, a giant pale figure, Koios he assumed, just in front of him. The crowd was cheering loudly.

"They're still jeering at him," Steve heard Nat hiss, disgust plain in her voice. Listening a little closer, Steve could now make out some of the calls being directed at the young demigod.

"Weakling!"

"Coward!"

"Demigod _scum_!"

"You killed me _twice!_ "

Though one eyebrow raised slightly at that, his face was, for the most part, fixed in a distasteful expression. They were definitely monsters, in multiple meanings of the word.

He raised the Yankees _(seriously it had to be the Yankees?!)_ hatabove his head and hesitantly lowered it onto his head. He nearly fell over thanks into the sudden disorientation. He couldn't see his hand as he lowered it, his legs when he looked down, or even his nose if he crossed his eyes slightly.

Natasha gave an amused look in his direction when she heard a small stumble. "Come on, Rogers, it's not that hard."

Steve sent another useless glare in her direction before turning his focus back to the situation in front of them.

" _Hey Cap,"_ Tony's voice sounded over the comms, _"are you currently praying that Brooklyn will forgive you for your betrayal? "_

Steve sighed. "Now's not the time Stark. Are you in position?"

" _Ready and waiting."_

"Alright then. Nat will sneak around the mob and attack from the far side while I do the same thing from this side. Tony, when you come in, you cover her. Bruce… try to get the Other Guy to cooperate similarly to how he did at New York. Try to make sure he knows friend from foe. Sound good?"

" _Yeah. Quick question:"_ Bruce's voice sounded across next, _"what's the signal for Tony and me to attack?"_

Before Steve could answer, Natasha cut in. "If you hear a scream," she started, totally deadpan, "attack."

 _That's… probably the best way to do it,_ Steve thought. _If they wait for a spoken signal it could be too late._ "Just keep your eyes and ears open you two. This isn't going to be easy, but neither was New York. And this time, the stakes are just as high. If these monsters and Tartarus get off this peak…" The solemn silence stretched for a moment. Steve sighed. "Let's go Avengers. For Connor, Mrs. O'Leary and every kid who's lost their life because of these monsters. Be ready."

Steve cleared the last few feet to the flat peek and straightened. It was hard to resist the temptation to duck and find cover, but a single glance down reminded him he didn't need to. He moved forward as quickly and quietly as possible. He may be invisible, but he wasn't automatically incapable of making noise.

A glance to his left showed Nat flitting from shadow to shadow, scarce though they were, proving her right when she said she didn't need the invisibility cap. The sun was approaching noon, and because they were in the eye of the storm, the sun was beating down directly on them. It wasn't the greatest conditions for sneaking around, and Steve couldn't help but be grateful that Nat had insisted he take the hat. He would have easily been spotted by now if it wasn't for the woman's foresight.

He'd never hated her being right so much than he did now.

Steve took his position at the southwestern corner of the crowd. Bruce/Hulk would come in from the west, Tony from the east, and Nat from southeast. The ruins and currently empty camp were on the southern corner of the peak, and the surprisingly large space definitely gave the monster army the advantage. The more Steve and Natasha could take out now, the better.

Once his shield was firmly strapped onto his arm, Steve drew his dagger. It definitely wasn't his favorite fighting method, but stealth and speed was definitely more important right now.

Natasha's voice crackled softly over the comm. _"Steve, everyone's in position. Do we begin?"_

Taking a deep breath and checking the Yankees cap to make sure it was still firmly on his head, Steve pressed the button on his comm to allow for constant communication. He needed to be able to hear everything that was going on with his team and vice versa.

"Now," he said firmly, as he plunged his dagger into a cyclops' back. The monster was on the very edge of the crowd, with only one other next to him. The stabbed cyclops disintegrated into sand immediately, and by the time his buddy had noticed, he was already following him to Tartarus.

The next to fall was a hellhound howling to the sky. It quickly dissolved into a pile of shadow. Steve was nearly caught when another nearby hound seemed to hear him approach before he managed to slip his knife in its ribs.

Often, as Steve got close enough to strike, he would see the monsters wrinkling their noses as if they were just barely getting a whiff of him. However, his scent was never strong enough to alert them before they were already dead. Steve was starting to understand why Chiron thought they would be so effective against monsters. According to Percy, the ability to smell demigods coming was a big factor in a monster's hunt, but if they couldn't smell, or see in Steve's case, their attacker, it left them more open for attack. Especially so when all of their attention is taken watching one of their greatest enemies suffer.

Steve's blood boiled as he thought of Percy, alone and in pain. As he caught a falling spear to prevent the noise of it falling to the rocks, he remembered the teen's eyes. The deep green that could be light and playful at times, but more often dark and stormy, full of pain. Steve nearly growled in anger, but stopped himself just in time. No child should have been forced to go through what Percy had, regardless of their parentage. No person should suffer so much loss and pain before they were old enough to vote.

The next dracaena he killed received her death stroke straight across the throat.

 _Hold on, Percy,_ he urged the demigod silently. _We're coming!_

Steve and Natasha were good, but they weren't perfect. Sooner or later, Steve knew they would be discovered.

He'd just hoped it wouldn't be so soon.

A Cyclops, not fifteen feet away from where Steve was killing another telekhine, turned its head to the right, a confused expression on its face, and tapped its ear. Steve cursed his stupidity. Previously there had been at least five rows of monsters behind that one, causing all sorts of noise, shouting, howling, and stomping, where now there was silence and piles of golden dust. As the cyclops turned and caught sight of the empty space, its eye widened, almost comically, and its arm reached out to alert its fellow.

In desperation, Steve threw his dagger at the monster's chest, but by the time it arrived, it was too late. The original cyclops fell dead, but it managed to grab its neighbor's arm first, and that Cyclopes was able to scream as he saw the three feet wide bronze razor-sharp edge hurtling towards him.

Almost in unison, the last few lines of the mob turned to face the source of the scream in time to see the rebounding shield seemingly disappear in the middle of an empty space previously filled with their fellows.

Steve grimaced as he returned his shield to his arm. The alarm would spread quickly now. "The jig is up! Tony move in. Bruce, hold off, I've got a better idea. Wait for my signal."

" _On my way Capsicle!"_

" _You got it, Steve."_

"Nat, how'd you do?"

" _For the situation? Pretty well. I managed to eliminate at least thirty. Why's Bruce waiting?"_

"They can't see me, so they'll focus on you and the shiny bronze suit hitting them from the east. If we wait we can have Hulk hit them hard again from the west just as they've turned their backs," Steve explained as he drove his shield into a bewildered hellhound. "That should divide their forces and give me a path right up the middle, in between."

" _Why wasn't this the original plan?"_ Tony's voice came through the comms just as the sound of his repulsors joined the shouts of confusion, turning the majority into screams of fear. Steve glance up to see the Iron Man suit firing heavily from just out of spear range. A large explosion soon followed.

"Now's not the time Tony!" Steve fought invisibly for a few more minutes as the majority of the army turned to face the two heroes. His super-soldier hearing could pick out the sound of Natasha's guns going off frequently, and Tony did not appear to be running out of explosives any time soon. As soon as the last monster was focused on the fight on the eastern side, Steve yelled, "Bruce now!"

Not two seconds later a huge roar echoed across the peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The Hulk sprang out of the mist and landed in the middle of the enemy backline, immediately decimating it. Steve actually winced slightly as he witnessed a cyclops look up with pure fear in its expression before it was thrown off of the mountain.

Though they couldn't do much to stop the Hulk's rampage, at least half of the army turned to confront him, just as Steve had predicted. The one's in the middle were turning back and forth in confusion, as if they weren't sure where to attack.

Steve made the decision for them.

He charged into the center of the mob, swinging a now-ownerless sword in wide swaths, cutting down monsters left, right, and center. His long arms combined with the sword's extra reach turned Steve into an invisible killing machine. The monster's confusion only made it easier.

In a matter of minutes, Steve had cut through the horde and emerged on the north side. Koios was standing not twenty feet in front of him, just next to the Rift to Tartarus, observing the battle with a curious gaze. And behind him…

… oh God.

Percy looked horrible.

The demigod was drenched in sweat, plastering his hair flat against his head and face. It dripped of his chin along with tears Steve could see flowing from the teen's eyes. He was hunched over on one knee, his hands and back supporting the spinning clouds above him as they came to a point. Though the scream was not audible, Steve could see it in the frozen expression on his young face, and grimaced to see pain so excruciating that he couldn't even **scream**.

Percy's entire body was trembling with pain and exhaustion, and Steve couldn't let it continue. He ran silently towards the boy, not sure shat he intended to do, before a white blur cleaved the air in front of him. He skidded to a stop in time to see his reflection on the bronze blade of a sword. Thanks to his abrupt stop, the invisibility cap had come loose and was now laying at Percy's feet. Steve allowed his eyes to follow the blade up to it's familiar hilt, and then to the eyes of its wielder. Icy-white met blue, and both were cold with hate for the other.

"That doesn't belong to you," Steve all but growled, glaring at the Titan.

Koios merely smirked, as he twisted Riptide, pulling it away from Steve and admiring its blade. "No," he agreed smugly, before lowering it to point accusingly at the soldier, "but I do so admire it's balance."

Steve fell into a fighting position, drawing his shield in front of him while holding his sword of to the side. In unison, the two began to circle each other, Koios towering over Steve. The Titan continued. "The involvement of you and your friends has clouded my sight since you interfered in New York. But now I understand. You and your _mortal,_ " Koios spat the word like it was poison, "friends don't belong here. This isn't your fight."

"I made it my fight when I saw the children you _hunt_ ," Steve replied with equal aggression. Koios adopted a thoughtful look.

"Such loyalty to a group you've hardly even met. As for us hunting them, its no less than they do to us. But tell me, Captain Rogers, what makes those children any less of monsters than those of my army? The Cyclopes are also children of Poseidon after all, what makes them any different from Jackson?" Koios gestured behind Steve at Percy. At this point, they'd turned a full one-eighty degrees, and Steve stopped. He wasn't willing to let Koios come any closer to the young demigod.

"The difference is that I don't see Percy hunting down other children to eat them just because they can." Steve stepped backwards, drawing as close to the teen as he could. He was close enough to hear the clinking of the ankle chains as Percy's trembling grew. A quick glance showed that the boy's chest was now nearly touching his knee as he tried to support the enormous weight. A chuckle from Koios drew his gaze back to the approaching behemoth. The air grew chilly as the icy Titan drew close.

"Ah, how naïve. You have no idea how this world works, how deep those instincts go. Because of that naivete, I will give you a choice." Koios gestured behind him at the battle. "As I said, this isn't your fight. I will pull back my army and allow you to leave, and I will swear to leave you unharmed as you descend the mountain. Or you can fight, and die by my hand, or that of Lord Tartarus' alongside the puny demigod you are currently failing to protect. You are mortals. You cannot stand against the might of darkness! Leave now and live, or fight and die."

Steve stared at Koios for a moment before bursting into full-on laughter. Koios narrowed his eyes at him as the laughs subsided.

"I don't know if you've heard of us, but we're the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And I will not stop until I have avenged every single hero whose life you've cut short," Steve yelled, his voice ringing across the battlefield before dropping to a low, threatening growl. "Because that's what those kids are: heroes."

Koios was glaring now. "Than die, little hero," he matched Steve's low tone, before tossing Riptide to the ground and drawing his own icy sword.

They both sprang forward at the same time, and the Titan's sword clashed the shield in an explosive _bang!_

 **SPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS**

It was worse this time.

So much worse.

Percy knew on some level that it was probably just in his head, but most conscious thought was being drowned out by _Not again, not again, not again, not again, ow, ow, owowowowowOW!_

He'd tried to explain what it felt like before, but nothing could due the immense, excruciating, heart-stopping pain that was currently coursing through his body justice. As he struggled to focus on what was before him, he couldn't distinguish what was real and what wasn't.

A flash of navy blue as it gently slid into his foot.

 _An arrow lodges itself into a forehead like a unicorn's horn._

Blue eyes of a soldier staring at him with worry and concern.

 _Grey eyes with a matching grey streak in her hair as she looked at him with the same expression._

A man's yell of "Avengers!" along with other words he couldn't distinguish.

 _A huntress' cry of "No!" as she threw herself in front of her father to protect a goddess._

A loud clatter as Riptide fell at his feet.

 _The roar of Atlas as he was once again trapped beneath the weight of the sky._

A tall blonde man standing tall to protect him from a Titan.

 _A girl in silver, then a tiger, then a deer, bear, and girl again fighting another Titan._

The past and the present were blending together as he struggled to tell which was which.

The blonde soldier falling back as his shield fell to his side.

 _A goddess shimmering with moonlight falling at the mercy of Atlas._

The clinking of his chains as he shook from the strain.

 _The buzzing of a Sopwith Camel biplane and the roar of machine gun fire as it flew by._

A roar of triumph as Koios lifted his sword to kill Steve.

" _The first blood of the war!" as a spear flashes downward._

A flash of lightning blinds his eyes, and he sees no more.

 _The stars aligning in a new pattern he'd never noticed before._

" _Live forever in the stars."_

 **A/N: I saw a request in another story that I'd really like to ask you guys:**

 **What song do you think best describes this story as a whole? I know many stories have songs as their themes and I'd really like to know what you guys think. I'm genuinely curious.**

 **Also I would love your opinions on that last Percy segment. Not gonna lie, I'm kind of proud of it. Although forgive me if my exact memory of the** _ **Titan's Curse**_ **failed me, I didn't have a copy on hand.**

 **Please Review and thanks for reading everybody! See you next chapter! It could be the last!**


	30. Chapter 30: Lightning and Thunder

**Chapter 30: Lightning and Thunder**

Steve glared defiantly at Koios as he pressed his sword against his chest. Blood was flowing freely from a few cuts on his arms, and one on his cheek. The Titan's sword seemed to be made of ice, so it was able to cut his skin unhindered. It had broken a few times over his shield, but had merely reformed so quickly he was only able to get a single hit in each time it happened. _I guess there are some perks from being the Titan of the North,_ he though wryly.

But Koios had not escaped the battle unscathed either. Several hits from the sharpened bronze edge of his shield had made large dents in his armor, and the Titan's ( _golden?!_ ) blood steamed as it met the freezing air that surrounding the Titan as it ran out of a cut on his thigh.

The fight would not have ended so fast but after a fatigued throw from Cap, Koios had managed to intercept his shield throw and send it clattering to the rocks twenty feet away. Weaponless, Steve had been forced to dodge desperately before finally he was sent crashing to the ground at Percy's feet, Koios' sword inches away from his heart.

Koios laughed in triumph. "You puny little mortal," he mocked. "Did you really think you could stand against a Titan?"

"I'll always stand against things like you," Steve proudly proclaimed. "I don't care how strong you think you are. You won't win. My team will make sure of it."

Koios smirked at his naiveté. "Oh Captain, didn't you know? I know how this all ends." The Titan's eyes closed, a serene expression covering his face. "I see my Lord Tartarus emerging from the portal triumphant, taking the power of the earth and sky for his own. I see him consuming the son of the sea, taking his revenge and the vast power the demigod holds. I see your friends falling one by one. The genius' machine fails, and he plummets from the sky from this very mountain, a spear through the precious reactor that keeps him alive. The archer and assassin die side by side, crashing in the precious jet that was meant to save you all. The quiet doctor is consumed, like Jackson, by the Pit." Koios' eyes open now, filled with glee and triumphant. "And you, little soldier, you draw your last breath, here and now. Dead by my hand, knowing that your team will soon follow." Quick as a snake, the sword is drawn back before plunging down towards his chest.

A cry of despair somehow escaped from the trembling Percy, but Steve refuses to turn to the young demigod. He was determined to face his death head on. But then, the world erupted into white.

* * *

A bolt of lightning struck Koios' sword just as it touched Steve's skin, and it disintegrated immediately, sending microscopic shards of ice in every direction. Koios was blown back, and Steve closed his eyes to prevent himself from going blind from the light. His skin stung as small shards of ice flew past him, slicing the occasional small cut into his arm. When he looked up, all he could see was a rippling wave of red fabric. He heard a familiar booming voice.

"I am offended, son of Ouranos. You seem to have forgotten about me, the final Avenger." Thor thrust his hammer into the air and called down another bolt of lightning. "Let me remind you."

The bolt of lightning slammed into a shocked Koios' chest and sent him flying back even further into the throng of monsters defending themselves from the Hulk. Steve looked up, disbelieving, as Thor turned and extended a hand to help him to his feet. "I beg your pardon for my tardiness, Captain," Thor apologized as he hauled Steve to his feet. "I came as soon as I could, but the Olympians required much paperwork and a hammer isn't really suited for –" Steve cut him off.

"Doesn't matter Thor, its just really good to see you. Could've used your help a week ago to help us figure this stuff out."

Thor nodded sheepishly. "As I said, this was as soon as I could come." The god of thunder glanced behind Steve and his face grew into shock at the sight of Percy. "I assume that is young Perseus. The son of Poseidon?" Steve nodded as he raced to Percy's side. "I had heard of his exploits. He truly is mighty to have taken up the weight of the sky once more.

"We've got to get him out of there, the effort's killing him," Steve exclaimed, worry and panic threatening to overwhelm him, but he forced it down. "Any ideas, Thor?"

The Asgardian shook his head sadly. "The only way to release him is to take his place, or we doom all around us."

Anything else Thor might have said was lost as Koios came barreling out of the crowd, breastplate blackened and a murderous expression on his face. "ASGARDIAN!" he bellowed, and he charged Thor, who raced to meet him. They met with an explosive collision between hammer and sword, and their battle commenced.

Steve focused back on Percy, who's breathing was arrhythmic and heavy. His eyes were blown wide, and the expression of agony on his face was only growing more excruciating by the moment. Steve pressed his hands to the teen's face but nearly jerked back because of how feverish the boy's skin was. He wouldn't survive much longer, Steve realized, the blood draining from his face. As if it heard his thought, one of Percy's hands slipped, the sweat making it nearly impossible to maintain his grip, and Percy's entire body was pushed even further to the ground as he fumbled to regain control.

Steve wouldn't let this happen. He _couldn't_ let this happen. Not Percy. Not a kid who'd already lost way too much to a world that seemed to exist just to make his life horrible. He tightened his grip on Percy's cheeks and turned the demigod's face so that their eyes met. The kid was nearly delirious with pain, but Steve could see a spark of recognition as their eyes met.

"Percy," he said in his best leader voice (or the So-righteous-and-commanding-you-will-do-everything-I-say voice according to Tony). As soon as he was sure the demigod was focused on him, "Give me the sky."

If he could Steve knew Percy would be screaming his refusal at this foolish plan, but all he managed was a miniscule shake of the head as his eyes filled with resolve to not let Steve take the weight from him. They both knew Percy wouldn't be able to stop him, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.

"Percy, please," Steve begged him, "I'm trying to save you."

This time, Percy was able to force out two words in between heaving gasps, barely distinguishable from all the background noise, "Yo… y-you'll… die."

A large tremor interrupted them, and Steve spun to see the Tear to Tartarus growing. It was stretching to nearly a hundred feet in the air, and the edges looked as if they were being grasped by invisible hands and pulled apart.

Steve turned back to Percy. "Tartarus is about to come through." Steve hesitated for a moment as Percy processed this and he saw the fear in the boy's eyes grow. "We both know that without you fighting, we fail. Let me take the sky, so you can fight!" Steve knew he had won when he saw the grudging acceptance on the demigod's face. He grabbed Riptide off the ground where Koios had tossed it and used it to carefully cut the chains on Percy's ankles. He couldn't do anything about the cuffs just yet so stuck with just severing the connecting links. Then, the super soldier mirrored Percy's position, left knee on the ground, right knee forward, and hands reaching up to touch to sky, just to the boy's right. Steve braced himself, trying to mentally prepare, before taking the weight.

The second he touched to swirling storm, Percy collapsed to the ground trembling, and the weight of the world came crashing down on his shoulders.

 **STSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS**

Tony whooped in excitement when he saw the bolt of lightning explode across the battlefield followed by a flash of a red cape.

" _Stark!"_ Natasha asked over the comm. _"Was that what I thought it was?"_

"Sure was, 'Tash!" he cried out happily. "Lady and gentlehulk, Point Break has arrived!" Tony watched with glee as Thor engaged Koios, leaving Cap free to help Percy.

The grin slipped of his face as he watched Steve kneel next to Percy and mirror his position. "JARVIS, buddy, please tell me Steve's not doing what I think he's doing."

" _Apologies, sir, but I believe so. It appears that Captain Rogers is taking the 'weight of the world', as Mr. Jackson called it, to free the young demigod. This instance falls under the 'Self-Sacrificial Capsicle' Protocol you installed last year; shall I activate it?"_

Tony groaned before giving his affirmative. When the team had actually become a team, or friends, Tony had spent one of his (many) sleepless nights installing sensors into each of his fam— _friends_ uniforms that would send live updates to JARVIS. The 'Self-Sacrificial Capsicle' Protocol was one of the five new ones that he'd installed that night, allowing him instant access to their vitals so that he could keep an eye on them. The fact that JARVIS was enabling the protocol was because Rogers' vitals had just spiked. In a bad way.

After a moment, Cap's vitals were now on full display on the right side of his screen, and he took a quick break from blasting monsters to dust (there was more dust than dirt on the peak at this point) to comm Nat and briefly scan them. "Nat, Capsicle just took the sky."

" _WHAT?!_ " The exclamation was followed by several shots from her guns and the screams that accompanied them.

"He got Percy out, but to do that he got stuck in. His vitals just spiked hard. He's holding steady for now, but I don't know how long that will last." The mechanic hesitated before adding, "And the Rip-thingy just got bigger. Like 'big enough for an alien whale' bigger."

Nat groaned audibly before replying. _"There's nothing we can do about it. What's Thor doing?"_

Tony grinned slightly as he checked the Asgardian's progress. "Kicking Koios into the next century."

" _Hulk?"_

"Bunch of hellhounds just went back to their namesake."

" _Finally some good news,"_ she grumbled into the comm and Tony grimaced. " _Alright, get over here and help me and hopefully Percy recovers in time."_

Tony grunted a quick "yes ma'am" before flying to hover just above her position, shooting anything that got too close. All the enemy archers had been eliminated, and the monsters were learning the hard way that none of their weapons could hurt the mortals. For many of them, their last words were growls of frustration as a spear passed straight past/through (Tony wasn't sure) Natasha's arm without leaving a mark. Nat was good, but without that advantage she'd be losing a lot more blood. So far, according to the 'Sneaky Spider Spy' Protocol, all she had were bruises and artificial cuts from the rocks that some of the smarter dracaena were using, either for throwing or hitting. Luckily for them, many of the largest monsters, such as Cyclopes and hellhounds, had been on the western side of the peak, so they were being dealt with by the Hulk and the lightning bolts that missed Koios. This left the more numerous dracaena, telekhines, and other smaller monsters for the unenhanced individuals.

Tony gritted his teeth as he dove back into the fight. Nobody was going to hurt his family.

 **TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPT**

Percy's eyes couldn't focus on anything. All he was aware of was the non-stop trembling of his limbs, the bright flashes that blinded him, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut, and the pain.

Oh, the _pain_.

It was everywhere. He could have sworn the vertebrae in his back were now permanently fused together, and that he would never walk again. He couldn't feel his arms and legs besides the shaking and occasional spasms that coursed through him at intervals. It felt like every sore cramp that anyone had every had was fused into one gigantic blanket of pain that coated his entire body, shredding every muscle, stiffening every tendon, sending fire up every nerve.

After what felt like hours, but was probably minutes, he was able to crack his eyes open to see a great battle.

Lightning versus ice, electricity against snow, a tall, long- blonde haired man with an aura that screamed _god_ facing off against Koios, Titan of the North. Percy trembled, this time not just from pain and exhaustion, but from fear as well. He knew this newcomer in armor had to be Thor, the only Avenger he hadn't met, and he worried for him. He knew Koios was not an easy opponent, had watched half-deliriously as he had disarmed Steve and held the super soldier at his mercy.

But moments later his worry was proved to be baseless. A blast of lightning lit up the darkening sky around them, and Percy looked up in surprise. He was shocked to see that the sun had already disappeared behind the western horizon, allowing the storm around them to engulf them in an early twilight. It had been mid-afternoon that he'd handed himself over, and that meant he'd either been under the sky for hours, or he'd actually been laying there for at least an hour.

He kind of hoped it was the latter.

Koios was knocked unconscious, breastplate steaming from the bolt of pure electricity, and laid motionless thirty meters away. Thor dove past the Titan to assist Nat and Tony. Hulk didn't seem to need any assistance. And Steve—

Percy spun his head as quickly as his loudly protesting body would allow. Steve looked about as bad as the young teen felt, but so far he was ok. The young hero made eye contact with the old soldier and Percy nodded his gratitude. It felt horribly inadequate for what the man had done for him, but he knew Steve understood. He turned back to the battle in front of him and gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. He made it to his hands and knees and had just lifted his foot to climb to his feet when his arms gave out, sending him crashing back to the ground with a groan of agony. His body was screaming in pain and exhaustion to the point where he couldn't focus on anything else. He sucked in several heaving gulps of air, and a few tears slipped down his face. How in Olympus did Steve expect him to face Tartarus in this state? Forget titans, any hellhound could easily use him as a chew toy right now and he wouldn't be able to stop them.

 _Come on Seaweed Brain!_ Annabeth's voice yelled his head, and Percy could almost feel the smack that would have followed. _I know you're more stubborn than this! Don't let this all be in vain!_ Reaching for his pocket, he pulled out Riptide. It had long since returned to his pocket. For a moment he just gazed at the unassuming pen, remembering all the adventures that he had had with nothing but this blade for protection. The only blade that had every sat correctly in his hand, the only thing that had stood between Annabeth, him, and death in Tartarus. It had carried him through quest after quest, battle after battle. Well, if he was going to stand, it was only fitting that Riptide help him now too. But first, he needed to write something. He uncapped the pen and touched the cap to the opposite end, leaving it in writing form. He quickly scribbled what he had to say on the back of his hand before returning Riptide to sword form, and braced himself to begin the process of getting to his feet once again. This time, after making it to his hand and knees, Percy placed Riptide point-first into the ground, leaning heavily on the blade as he straightened, body protesting. It took all of his willpower not to scream there and then.

But he was standing. He felt like a small nudge could knock him over, and he was leaning heavily on Riptide, but he was standing.

Just in time to see the pack of hellhounds bounding towards him, hungry expressions in their eyes. He raised Riptide with trembling hands and braced himself, closing his eyes for a moment to prepare himself.

The winds roared in the previously peaceful eye of the storm, and a crack of thunder shook the mountain, surprising him slightly. He opened his eyes to see Thor standing a few meters away from him in a defensive position between him and the monsters that had been charging him. His hammer was lifted to the sky, bringing lightning to add to the already formidable storm surrounding them. Percy stared at the god, frozen briefly in shock, and grinned. Thor returned the smile, and then continued to build up the strength of the winds and rain. The rain splashed on Percy's face, renewing at least some of his energy, draining some of the pain from his bones, and the winds buffeted the monsters but left his teammates unaffected. The pack of hellhounds that had been looking for an easy meal were blown clear of the mountain and yipped helplessly as they fell. Percy's heart panged with grief as he thought of Mrs. O'Leary, and how much he wished she was with them.

A flash of déjà vu took him back to Fort Sumter as he stared at the thunder god, where he and Jason had summoned the sea and sky to their will, using their power as one to drive back the Romans, save Annabeth and allow them to escape, only allowing the wind to affect those they wanted it to. Only this time, the stakes were much, much higher. He wanted to help Thor, but Percy knew he needed to conserve his strength for the coming battle. Besides, it didn't look like the Norse god even needed help.

Lightning began to rain down on the unbalanced monsters, who were already being cut to pieces by the Hulk, Natasha, and Tony, decimating the remaining forces. When the final Cyclopes exploded into a cloud of dust, courtesy of the Hulk, Percy allowed himself to relax slightly. He kept a firm hand on Riptide, not allowing himself to waver as he once again used the sword as a crutch. He knew that if he fell now, he might not be able—

A quake shook the ground, and it had nothing to do with Thor's lightning this time. One by one, the Avengers turned to look at the source, and saw a giant shadow beginning to press its way through the Tear.

Percy swallowed hard. This was it. Tartarus was coming.

Everyone raced over to Steve, who Percy could tell was beginning to struggle. Tony knelt next to his friend, and the Nat managed to quickly calm the Hulk down so Bruce could assess the situation. The poor man was stuck in nothing but ripped up pants as he frantically checked Steve over. Thor came to stand by Percy, and they stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Tear a few meters ahead of them. Percy was doing all he could to keep his body from trembling visibly in exhaustion and fear of what was coming.

"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon," Percy jumped slightly when the Norse god of thunder spoke "stories of your many quests and battles have reached even the halls of Asgard." Thor met his eyes with a kind smile. "I am honored to fight by your side."

Percy grinned back. "Likewise, Lord Thor," he replied, trying to be polite and keep his voice from showing the strain he was feeling. "But please, call me Percy. The only time I get called Perseus is when I'm about to become monster kibble or my mom hears about one of my quests."

A great booming laugh echoed across the peak. "Indeed, young Percy! I see your wit was not exaggerated in the stories either," Thor remarked, though his eyes were focused on the coming threat. The amusement died from his eyes. "I must again apologize for my tardiness. The Lord Zeus was quite insistent that we follow certain procedures to allow me to interfere in Greek affairs. It is my understanding that he wasn't very happy about it either, but the rest of the Council was quite insistent."

"But I thought… the prophecy?" Percy asked in confusion. "It specifically said I had to do this alone with only the Avengers hel—ooooh." The realization hit him after a second.

"Precisely, son of Poseidon," Thor grinned. "As an Avenger myself, we were able to satisfy the Oracle's requirements with only a bit of fuss."

"See, this is why I hate paperwork," Tony griped as he came to stand beside the two. "It always delays the really important stuff. But for some reason Pepper can't understand that."

"Ah, Man of Iron!" Thor exclaimed happily as he quickly embraced Tony. "It is good to see you again, Stark. It has been too long since we last fought together."

"Yeah, good to see you too, Point Break," Tony gasped breathlessly, still recovering from the bear hug. Percy grimaced in sympathy; memories of Tyson's hugs fresh on his mind. "How's Reindeer Games, still insane?"

Thor's face fell. "My brother is still… readjusting to being home let's say." The look on the god's face didn't encourage any more questions.

Tony shrugged. "Fair enough." He then turned to Percy, who was, embarrassingly, still trembling from the exertion of the last few hours. A look of worry came over his face and in a rare display of concern, he asked, "You okay, kid?"

Percy nodded with some difficulty, spine protesting. "Okay enough."

Another, stronger tremor shook the earth, and the three were joined by Bruce and Natasha as Tartarus began his entrance into the mortal world. Tony winced, before muttering, "Let's hope so."

The five heroes watched in horrified awe as an enormous hand burst through the Tear in reality. The farther out it came, the more solid it appeared, going from coalescing from smoky gray vapor to skin darker than the depths of the deepest ocean. Percy swallowed hard as he watched the transition and spoke loudly to get the others' attention. "Now's our best chance of stopping him. If he makes it to Steve and takes control, its over. We can't let him get past us." The Avengers and the demigod formed a line, with Percy in the center, Tony on his left, Thor on his right, and Natasha and Bruce on the wings, protecting their final member. A united front.

And yet, it still looked pitiful when Tartarus himself finally emerged, fully formed, and stood straight. Tony's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of his head. The thing was _huge!_ His boots alone were the size of one of his Audis, his arms and legs were as wide as some of the redwood trees California was so famous for, and he was just as tall. He didn't even have a _face!_ Just a swirling whirlpool of freaking darkness! And when he spoke… Tony shivered. When he spoke, it was like darkness itself had been given a voice that resounded through your very being, trying to break you apart.

" _Ahhhhh. So_ this _is the mortal world."_ The primordial made a big show of looking around and gazing at the sun that was just slipping behind the horizon, bathing them all in golden light that penetrated even the strongest storm clouds Thor could muster. " _It is… not as bright as I imagined."_ The behemoth took a small step to the opposite side of the peak from them, looking out across the land to the east, shaking the ground as he placed his foot down.

Percy flinched as Tartarus moved, but kept his shaking hand tight around Riptide. He wasn't going to drop it again. He was not going to show weakness this time. When the primordial turned back around and gazed down at them (he assumed he was gazing, it was kind of hard when the guy didn't have a face) he glared right back, eliciting an amused laugh from the goliath.

" _Ah Perseus Jackson. We meet again, at last."_ Tartarus crouched down, gazing at the pitiful line of defense standing between him and total domination. _"I suppose its only fitting that you are here now, at the end. You escaped me once, thanks to those two traitors,_ " for an instant Percy imagined he could see the outlines of Damasen and Bob's faces in the swirling void and his grip on Riptide grew even tighter, " _but this time, your luck has run out."_

"Maybe it has," Percy called up, "but that won't stop me from fighting you until the end."

Tartarus laughed, and the mountain shook. _"You think you can fight me? The oldest being of creation besides Chaos and Nyx themselves? You can barely even stand! But, by all means little hero. Fight."_

With that, shadows poured through the Rift between the worlds and streaked towards the small band. The things had no form, and moved as a fluid mass. Percy lifted Riptide, cutting through them and leaving them to dissipate. Thor's lightning combined with Tony's repulsor blasts seemed to do the most damage to the darkness, and Natasha was holding her own and covering Bruce and Steve at the same time while the others drew the heavy fire.

Percy cut and slashed and stabbed like there was no tomorrow (which there wouldn't be if they didn't stop this), and when the wave subsided, he resisted the urge to rest his hands on his knees and pant. Instead, he forced himself to stay tall as Tartarus laughed at their continued resistance.

" _You still resist the inevitable. Pathetic."_ The primordial suddenly shrank until he was only ten feet tall. Percy's face morphed into a confused expression, and Tartarus adopted a condescending tone. " _Don't give me that look Perseus, I had to shrink. How else would I fit the armies of darkness onto this tiny peak?"_

Percy's heart fell.

 **I'm alive my friends! Hope you enjoy this chapter because let me tell you it was a _struggle_ to write. Sorry about such a long wait and thanks to everyone who commented on this! This has now reached over 200,000 views and has more than 1000 followers and 800 favorites! I honestly don't deserve you guys. I'll try to post more often and finish this thing up. Corona actually might benefit me in that regard**

 **Enjoy! I'll probably milk another couple chapters out of this thing, I've got no other choice.**

 **Comment some ideas on monsters you want to appear in the final battle or how you think this will end. I want to see how close you guys will get!**

 **Have a great day and stay safe!**


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